The Portrait of Gamophobia
by Nancie
Summary: "Stay. For the love of God, stay. You're not running away this time," Harvey commanded, holding her tightly, "We can do this. Just stay," he whispered to her. Harvey/OC, Mike/Rachel. Sequel to "The Art of Philophobia".
1. Match

_**Hey Everyone!**_

_**I'm back!**_

_**I know, I promised I'd update last week, but I thought I should write a few more chapters before I posted. I also thought I should wait until the greatest show on television premiered it's new season. Gah! I wanna cry! I am seriously going batshit on Tumblr, tracking the 'Suits' tag (granted, there are some stuff that I don't really want popping up, but, c'est la vie!). The premier was amazing. Harvey was a BAMF. Jessica was a HBIC. And Mike was an adorable little puppy. AND THE GOD DAMN PROMO FOR THE NEXT EPISODE WITH MIKE AND RACHEL (My emotions... My emotions...)**_

_**Without further ado, here is the first chapter of The Portrait of Gamophobia!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**P.S. I don't own Suits.**_

* * *

"Babe."

"Hm?"

Italian leather shoes clicked off the floor as the powerful lawyer belonging to them began to walk through the bedroom from the bathroom, heading into the closet. The man was fixing his cuffs on his blue pin-stripped dress shirt, with the neck still not buttoned. Harvey's million dollar condo was lit up with sunlight as the beautiful April sky emphasized every beautiful thing in the room, including the beautiful woman. The woman that was in the room sat on the edge of the bed, pulling up her nude thigh-high stockings. She was still in her lilac lingerie: a push-up bra with lacy boy-shorts. She got up from the bed, following her man into the closet. She grabbed a gray Chanel pencil high-waist skirt, slipping it on her bottom half, still unzipped.

"Do you know where my blue tie is?"

She ignored him, looking for her shirt.

"You know which one, the electric blue striped one with the sky blue background-"

She held it up for him as she grabbed her shirt from the bottom drawer.

"And my-"

She held the silver cufflinks up.

"Oh, and where's-"

She held up the matching silver tie clip.

Harvey was going to ask her to fix his tie, but she grasped either side of the tie, making a very sophisticated Windsor knot, getting it to the right length. She grabbed the tie clip from Harvey's hands clipping it in the perfect spot; just how Harvey liked it. As he admired his tie, he didn't realize that his cuffs were clipped with the Swarovski cuffs already. He looked up to see Max tuck in her light blue satin dress shirt into her high waist gray skirt. Not wanting to feel useless, he moved her hands away from the back of her skirt, zipping up the skirt. He pressed his body against her back, wrapping her arms around her as he rested his head against her face.

"Thank you for marrying me," he whispered in a playful voice.

She smirked, "What would you do without me?"

"Not know the meaning of true beauty," he kissed her cheek before pulling away, going for his jacket that was sitting on the edge of the chaise.

"Harvey, you know how to make a girl blush," Max said, buttoning up her Chanel suit jacket. Max was fixing her hair as Harvey was putting on his jacket. All of a sudden, Max stopped what she was doing as she froze in mid-air. It took Harvey a few minutes to notice Max, whose smile was creeping on her face.

"What?" He asked.

"We match," Max said, laughing.

Sure enough, Harvey looked down to see that they were wearing a suit that had the exact same shade of gray. What made it funnier was that both their shirts were the exact same shade of light blue. Max shook her head as she began walking back into the closet.

"This is what I get for leaving an extra suit here," she said, shrugging off her jacket.

Harvey came to her right there and then, pulling the jacket back over her shoulders.

"Keep it on," he said, smirking at her as he fixed her collar, "I think it's cute."

She shrilled in laughter, leaning up to kiss him.

"Do not say 'cute', please," she scrunched her nose in distaste, "It's not in your vernacular."

"Then what is?" He said with a challenging eyebrow.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Smart, sexy, savvy... I could keep going, you know."

"Oh I know," he said smiling.

She smiled up at Harvey, as she usually does. Yet Harvey caught something in her eyes that wasn't supposed to be there. He studied her for a moment. Yes, the was his Maxine. His beautiful, strong woman, but there was something off about the glint in her eye. Almost sad. _Ah-ha_. He found it. Sadness in her eyes. He knew today would be a day where Max had unhappy thoughts. It was about time; Max usually lasted three weeks care-free, and there would always be that one day that she'd allow herself to be sad. Just that one day, for a few hours. But it had been almost two months, and Harvey had worried.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

She pulled her head back in surprise, "Nothing?"

_Ah. She's hiding._

He pulled her tighter against him, her arms between them as her held her close.

"Well, wrong or not, I just want to let you know that I love you, regardless of how you feel."

Max smiled, leaning up to kiss him deeply. When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes. The sadness was gone, but just for that moment.

"I love you too."

* * *

He zoomed past the condensed traffic, swiftly dodging a taxi before finding a clear path through the yellow cabs and black trucks. Mike loved riding his bike. Not only did Harvey not approve, Max didn't as well, and hell, he was pretty sure Rachel thought one day he'd smack his head of the pavement. He didn't care though; he loved the wind through his helmet, and the accessibility he had when riding his bicycle. He could go anywhere with his noble steed, and it was also eco-friendly. He couldn't think of any better way to go around New York City than his two-wheeled vehicle.

He saw that the traffic was progressing and slowly thinning out, so he decided to scale the edge of the sidewalk for safety precautions. As he was turning the corner, he squeezed the brake handle in order to avoid the person in front of him. Mike swiveled out of the way, slamming into a local newspaper stand. The newspaper stand was fine, but Mike's tire for his bike popped off. With an angry sigh, he threw his bike to the floor as he turned to face the person, knowing completely that this accident was no accident.

"Michael," the voice of the only person in the world who was hated by everyone at Pearson Hardman happened to reach his ear.

Mike sighed, turning to face the man.

"Cameron," the venom in Mike's voice was evident.

"How goes it?" The salt-and-peppered hair man said, "Everything alright over at Pearson Hardman?"

Mike rolled his eyes, "Just peachy."

As the blonde began to pick up his bike, Cameron moved to stand in front of him.

"You know, the trial for Oliver Klades is just around the corner," the older man said, leaning against the newspaper stand that was just used as an impromptu stopping device, "you sure you up for it?"

"Why the hell not, Cameron," Mike challenged, "I'm always up for an opportunity to kick your ass."

"Wow, you almost sounded like Harvey."

"Harvey likes to win," Mike picked up the bike, "and so do I. So if I sound like Harvey because I like to win, well, then so be it. I'm not afraid to beat you out of your own game."

"Ooh, the rookie threatening the veteran," the older lawyer cooed, "You have a long way to go hotshot. Pace yourself, because you might crash and burn… and I might be there to watch you fall."

Mike pierced his lips, "Get a life Cameron. Stop harassing people just for shits."

"Think about it, Junior," Cameron finally said before walking away.

The dirty blond seethed in his own anger as he threw his bicycle back onto the ground. It was just perfect that the one man who was hated by the majority of the lawyers in Manhattan happened to ruin his day immensely. On top of that, the wheel for his bike popped off, and Mike was going to be late to work. _Again_.

The whirr of a Vespa was heard, as it stopped beside him with a sobering look coming from the driver. Mike's mood increased significantly.

She always knew when the hell he needed her.

"Forgot to upgrade?" A brunette woman said, with a small smirk erupting.

He couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

"Got your Vespa back?"

"Had to hunt this bitch down and pay the bastard double."

"Does Harvey know?"

"Fuck no. If he did, I'm pretty sure he'd just destroy it."

Mike's head shot back, "You're a little vulgar today."

Finally, her eyes softened, she took of her helmet, with her hair cascading down softly. That's when Mike saw the reddening irises in her eyes from unshed tears. He moved towards her, but Max just put her hands up in defeat, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She opened them to see her best friend look at her with worry. She smiled to him, trying to rid her face of worry.

"Orphan problems. That's all," Max said softly, knowing Mike would understand.

Mike _did_ understand. Although Max wasn't _technically _an orphan, she still lost the only person who raised her all through her childhood and young adulthood. Most of the time, she could deal with the pain of the loss, but there were days that it just caught up to her, and she couldn't help but feel like crap.

Mike reached out to slightly pinch her cheek with his knuckles. She looked at him, smiling. He always knew when to say the right thing, but he also knew when not to say anything. She nodded towards the seat behind her, and Mike smiled, adjusting his messenger bag before hopping onto the back of the Vespa. He tightened his arms around her, and Max noticed this wasn't Mike holding on for her for safety. He was giving her a hug, and Max smiled, starting up her Vespa.

Her best friend always knew what to do.

* * *

"I freaked out."

The one and only Donna Paulsen quickly typed on her computer, ignoring the look she was receiving from Rachel Zane, who was leaning against the wall, and Maxine Harris, who was sitting on the edge of the redhead's desk, tossing a rubber-band ball in the air. Rachel looked at Donna accusingly while Max rolled her eyes at the stupid situation.

"You could have told us Donna," Rachel reasoned.

"That I was _pregnant_?" She whispered.

Max butted it, "correction: You thought you were pregnant, but refused to use at-home tests."

"Because the last time I did it, it gave me so much comfort," the redhead rolled her eyes, sending emails to clients about scheduling meetings.

"Well, I'm personally sad about that," Rachel said, getting up from her position, "I mean, imagine a little redheaded, spunky, mini-Donna dominating the world."

"Shit. Imagine we got screwed and had a mini-Ezra running around?" Max said laughing.

"But we didn't. Now shoo, I see Harvey coming down the hallway."

Rachel got up to leave, but Max rolled her eyes.

"He's my damn fiancé. I can do whatever I please."

Donna looked at Harvey, then looked back at Rachel, and Rachel looked at Harvey, who looked at Donna, and they both turned to face Max, who had a confusing look on her face.

"What?" She asked.

Harvey stopped in front of the three girls with the same look on his face.

"What?" He asked.

Donna smiled, "This whole matchy-matchy thing is oddly cute."

"Oh for the love of God," Max said, turning away from the group, bringing Rachel along with her as they linked arms, heading down the office. Donna turned to see Harvey smiling an all-too-knowing smile.

"You slick bastard," she said grinning, "you wore that suit on purpose."

He shrugged his shoulders, "I may have gotten a new one that happens to match Max's-"

"I'm telling Renée to never do you a favor like that again."

* * *

She was at her desk, looking at a dispute between two of the clients when there was a knock on her door. Rachel looked up to see a delivery man holding two dozen red roses in a large vase. Curious, she allowed the delivery man to enter. He placed the roses on the table before tipping his hat to her, heading out of the small office and off of the floor. She picked up the card, flipping over the expensive paper to expose the note in the envelope. She pulled the paper out, reading the note quickly.

Her heart melted.

'_Rach; just because it's Monday, and you're beautiful._

_x Mike_'

She smiled, shook her head, and got back to work

* * *

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Nope."

"Donna, he has to know."

"Mike, if I tell Harvey Specter this, he will flip."

Mike looked out the break room, making sure the coast was clear.

"Donna, this is Harvey. If we don't tell him this, he'll throw us off the building."

"And if we do tell Harvey, he'll throw _him_ off the building."

The blonde sighed, looking at the redhead in front of him as they stood in conspiracy.

"Does Jessica know?"

"She was the one who told me," Donna said softly, leaning an arm on the counter.

"This is bad," Mike said, "We have to tell Max though."

"Should we?" Donna asked, "She looks a bit bitter today."

Mike waved it off, "It's some other thing. Life thing."

Donna nodded as if she knew what he was talking about.

"What do you think will happen?"

"Probably nothing," Donna told Mike, "He's better now. Not as worse."

"But still _out_," Mike pleaded, "Donna, you saw Harvey that day. That was the worst day of Harvey's life. He had never been so scared, and I never want to see Harvey like that. How do you think he'll react to this?"

Donna sighed. He was right.

"I'm telling you," Mike said, crossing his arms, "we have to tell Max."

"Tell me what, Ross?" Miss Harris said, sauntering in, clearly looking at the two individuals who were having their own conference call.

Donna looked at Mike before raising her hands in defeat, and leaving the break room. With a raised eyebrow, she turned to Mike.

"Yes?" Max asked.

Mike sighed; there was no point.

"Don't tell Harvey, but..."

She moved her hand towards him, asking him to continue.

"Oliver Klades just got out of jail. On bail."

Just like that; Max's heart stopped.

* * *

The sun was just about to rise. She could see that it was getting light outside, but the sun hadn't peaked over yet. The lady who was sitting on her balcony brought the blanket closer to her as the soft breeze of the April air hit her. She could feel the season change, and she welcomed it. She turned her head to see inside the condo, where her love was still in bed, his back towards the window. She sighed, turning out to the extremely early-in-the-morning landscape. Her tears were wiped quickly, making sure they didn't leave a mark on her face. She couldn't sleep. She tried desperately to shut her eyes and dream, but even her hunk couldn't comfort the saddening thoughts creeping in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more tears that fell from her face. And now that Oliver Klades was on the loose... She finally just gave up, and started crying.

Harvey Specter's fiancée was crying.

Harvey, who was sleeping, instinctively reached out to the other side of the bed, expecting his hands to be comforted by the warm, soft skin of his love. What he got was cold silk sheets. Harvey opened his eyes, drowsy and confused, as his hair was sticking out of all different angles. He pushed himself off of the bed, looking around the semi-dark room. He was looking for her. His mind went on high alert, as he shot out of bed, shirtless with only pajama pants on. He frantically searched the room before he noticed the lone figure sitting alone on the old patio chair. Breathing a sigh of relief, he walked towards the porch door, moving to open the door. Harvey stopped when he saw her; his angel was crying.

His angel was Maxine Penelope Harris.

And Harvey's heart ached when he saw her.

He threw the door open, causing Max to look up. The one thing that Harvey hated the most was seeing her cry, because he knew that she would never make a sound. It was always quiet and painful, which is why he hated every minute of it. He rushed to her, kneeling in front of her as he placed comforting hands on her blanket-covered thigh.

"Babe," he said softly, "Max, what is it? Why are you crying?"

She shook her head, letting more silent tears fall.

"Tell me, please," he asked her, his heart breaking, "Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

She bit her lip again, looking down at her hands.

Harvey let out a frustrated sigh.

"Max, you have to tell me what's wrong so I can fix it."

"You can't," she whispered quietly.

He then let out a relieved sigh as he shut his eyes. She was talking.

"Why babe?" Harvey sat on the bottom half of the chair, leaning in closer to Max to get a better look at her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and tracks were running down her face.

She looked at him with a bittersweet smile, "It's just an old thought re-emerged..."

He nodded, asking her to continue.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair, "I always knew, after my mother died, she would never get to see me get married."

Recognition fluttered over Harvey's face. _Oh, babe..._

"But now," Max said with a stuttered breath, "Now that I'm actually getting married... It feels worse, because it's actually happening-"

"Max," he said, clutching her face. His thumb stroked her cheek, moving the tears away from her eyes.

"I know," she laughed, leaning into his touch, "I know it's so stupid..."

"It's not," he said, shuffling closer to her, "It's okay to be upset about this, babe."

She bit her lip, nodding at Harvey.

He kissed her forehead, knowing that if he hugged her, she would break down and start crying even more, and Harvey didn't know if he could handle it. Harvey knew it was a smart decision, as Max began to calm down considerably. On Max's behalf, the only reason she was calming down was because Harvey was there. She sighed, grabbing Harvey's hand. It was oddly soft, knowing Harvey had rough hands. She let the pads of her fingers feel his palm; the texture of each ripple, the softness of the skin, the little scar he had from baseball. She always thought his hands were fascinating. Harvey was powerful, and his hands embodied that: the strong grip, firm hold, and powerful fist. There was so much to say about his hands, and she loved it.

Harvey's hand came up to her face to brush her hair away.

"Okay?" He asked softly.

She nodded, "Okay."

He pulled her up, off the patio lounge, wrapping his arms around her as they quietly walked into the bedroom. Max bit her lip, and as if on cue, Harvey looked down at her.

"You know, you're really a handful today."

She pulled him to the bed, forcing him to sit up and face her. She had this look to her; scared, uncertain... and he knew it wasn't because of Max's mother. It was a whole other reason, and Harvey was scared out of his mind.

"What's wrong?"

She placed both of her hands on either side of his face.

"You have to promise me you will try to not get angry. If you do, you leave this room. You deal with it outside of this room. There is too much love in this room, and I don't want you tainting it. Do you understand me, Harvey Specter? You deal with whatever you have to outside of this room."

"Don't scare me like this," Harvey said softly.

"I'm not scaring you," she said firmly, "I'm preparing you."

He looked deep into her eyes. She wasn't giving away anything.

"Promise me," she asked him.

After a moment, Harvey nodded, "Yes, I promise."

Max nodded before letting go of Harvey's face, and folding her hands in her lap. Her eyes never left his.

"Oliver Klades was released on bail yesterday morning."

All the blood drained from Harvey's face in an instant.

But right after that happened, she could see his jaw tense to a degree that Max had never seen before. His eyes became dangerous, his nostrils flared, and the vein in his forehead was aching to pop out. His fists were clenched as his breaths were deep. Standing up, he paced the room for a moment before stopping. He turned towards Max.

He walked up to her, placing a quick kiss on her forehead before stalking out of the room, shutting the door behind him very softly. Max mentally counted four and a half seconds before she heard something smash. She closed her eyes, waiting for the rage to cool down. It wasn't as bad as she thought, but then she realized that the front door opened, and slammed back tightly. She frowned. They didn't need this right now. They were supposed to be happy right now. They were getting_ married_ for Christ's sake. They didn't need Oliver Klades ruining their lives again. They just didn't. She looked out the window. Her life was perfect. Yes, it had its ups and downs, but that's why it was perfect. Because it was perfect for _her._

Max crawled back into bed, pulling the sheets over her head, thankful that it was still nearly dark outside. She shut her eyes as she waited for Harvey to come back.

The sun had risen when she woke to the feeling of a powerful arm pull her from the far side of the bed to the middle, holding her close to his body. Harvey held her tighter than usual, a clear signal that he was afraid of losing her, and he wanted to protect her with everything he had. Max placed a comforting hand on his own, and just like that, the couple fell asleep quickly and peacefully.

Five minutes later, the alarm clock went off.

* * *

**_Oh, it's so good to be back!_**

**_I know it's a little confusing, but in the next few chapters, it'll clear up._**

**_I'll post the next chapter before Saturday if I can get 30 reviews. I love hearing all of your feedback, and yes, I do read every review. How bout it, huh?_**

**_So, review!_**

**_xoxo N._**


	2. Perfect

_**Hey Everyone!**_

_**I do apologize for the extremely delayed upload, but I had gone on vacation thinking that I packed my memory stick with all of the chapters, but alas, I am a moron and I never listed to my mother about packing ahead. Even after all these years I still forget to remember the stupiest things. Anyways, I have recently come back, and updates will be coming regularly. So don't fret, I haven't forgot about one of your favourite couples!**_

_**ON THE RECENT 'SUITS': DONNA! WHAT! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON! SUITS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SHOW WHERE IT WAS ALL BADASS AND MAKES ME FEEL HAPPY, NOT BREAKS MY HEART AND TEARS AT MY SOUL AND MAKES ME CRY ALL THE RIVERS. THE PROMO, FUCKING LOUIS: "DO YOU LOVE HARVEY SPECTER?" ...OMG WHY CAN'T I BREATHE RIGHT NOW.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**P.S. I do not own Suits** **(Sadly)**_

* * *

"...The Ralmond case was handled perfectly, Anderson. Because of that, we met the the quota for new clients..."

Harvey sat boredly in his seat, slightly slouching in boredom as he listened to Jessica speak to all the Junior and Senior partners in the firm. He looked at his watch, reading that it was just past noon. He sighed, wishing that he could pull out his phone to text Max. But unfortunately, Max gave Harvey a strict rule to not text her unless she texted him first. He mentally rolled his eyes as he tapped his pen slowly; his woman was extremely infuriating sometimes. He had no idea what Max was doing right now, but he did know that Donna wasn't at the office because "she wasn't feeling well", and Rachel took an earlier lunch break, and hasn't been back yet. Woman things, he thought to himself as he shook his head. As soon as his mind was off his woman, which was rare, his phone rang instantly. With some semblance of glee, he pulled it out of his breast pocket. He hid his smug face from the woman in charge as the bosswoman eyed him suspiciously.

'_Get me out of here_.'

Harvey responded quickly, '_Where would you be in particular_?'

'_Promise not to freak out_?'

His eyebrows furrowed, '_When you say that I tend to freak out, Max_.'

'_I'm at Kleinfeld's_.'

Harvey kept his promise, and did not freak out. He was more annoyed, knowing she kept her wedding dress appointment a secret and snuck away from him so that Harvey wouldn't do what he always does.

Buy Max everything.

He knew she loved her money, and was proud that she was extremely wealthy. She wasn't afraid to spend her own money, and that's what annoyed Harvey. Call him sexist, but he wanted her to keep her money, because the idea of Max holding a Black American Express with the name 'Harvey Specter' on it filled him with such joy that reminded him of Christmas morning. He wanted Max to have the world, and he wanted to be the one to give it to her.

'_Why? Too much tool chaffing your legs?_'

Harvey looked up to see Jessica give him a scowling look as she spoke to everyone. Harvey gave her a smirk back before looking down at his phone again.

'_There's too many dresses for me to pick! How will I know which one will be perfect?_'

He shook his head.

'_Max, you're gorgeous. You could be wearing one of my suits and still look fantastic._'

'_That's because you're biased._'

'_What's the matter? This never mattered before_.'

'_Well, I want to be perfect for you, Harvey. Is that too much to ask?_'

He smiled softly.

'_Never._'

"Harvey," the sound of the powerful Jessica Pearson boomed.

The lawyer in question looked up to see that the conference room had been vacated for quite some time now, with the only people in the room being Jessica Pearson, and Harvey himself.

"How many times do I have to tell you Harvey," she said, picking up her folders, "leave your personal life _out_ of the office and _away _from the job."

Harvey smirked as he stood up, adjusting his suit, "Well I would, but that would mean Pearson Hardman falls off the radar of _every_ media outlet. Now that's not good for business, now is it?"

Jessica's back stood straighter, "This whole 'power couple' thing is really irritating for me."

"For you?" The brunette lawyer said, appalled.

"It's obviously worse for yourself, Harvey. There's no denying that," she said as she was leaving the room, with Harvey on her tail.

"I was actually referring to Max."

Jessica smiled, "The woman does hate cameras. I'm sure she isn't afraid to bludgeon every one of those people to death."

The man just shrugged his shoulders, "If she didn't, she wouldn't be my fiancée."

Before Jessica could respond to Harvey, he began walking towards the elevators.

"You do realize it's only two in the afternoon, and you're leaving the office."

"I have to make a quick stop," he said, getting in the elevators.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "This place have margaritas and strippers?"

"Nope. More like white silk and veils."

* * *

She sat with her head in her hands, as the smooth robe clung to her body. _This is impossible_, she thought, looking at all the dresses that hung on the rack in front of her in the dressing room. Why did she, out of all people, have a hard time picking out _one_ dress. One damn dress out of thousands upon thousands of dresses. Max always knew what she wanted, and never second guessed herself. So why was it that she couldn't decide between A-line and ballgown?

A knock at the door disrupted her thoughts as she pulled her head out of her hands, running them through her hair. "Come in," she said to the unknown person, thinking Donna and Rachel would be there to comfort her.

But the sight of Julian Satin at the door confused the hell out of her.

"Dad?" She said raising an eyebrow, "What are you doing here?"

"Some lawyer called me," he said fixing his suit, "said that a very special girl in my life was stressed out."

She bit her lip as she smiled and shook her head.

_Harvey fucking Specter_.

"It amazes me how much you remind me of your mother," he said sitting down beside his daughter, "she was just as stubborn as you, and it drove me up the wall. Indecisive of the tiniest thing, but knew what to do when it came to the big picture," Julian looked at Max, who had a hint of a smile on her face. He pulled a piece of hair away from her face.

"Maxie, don't over think it, okay?"

She shut her eyes at that moment. She hadn't been called 'Maxie' in over eleven years.

"I'm sure this is exactly how you pictured spending your day today," she said laughing, "trying to cheer up your daughter who is having a crisis on what she's going to wear on her wedding day."

"Well, with Harris women, that is a typical day."

She laughed.

Julian placed a hand on her knee, "As much as you are so much like your mother, you have to remember that you are a Satin, and sometimes we let things come to us."

"Just like Uncle Logan when he smacked his head on the pole as he was walking to that meeting with EnviroFriendly Incorporated."

Julian's head shot back, "How can you remember that? You must have been five-"

"Four, actually," she said tapping her head, "Eidetic memory."

The old man shook his head, "And you still manage to forget that you are beautiful, regardless of what you wear."

Max smiled, "Thanks Dad."

"You're welcome," he said standing up, "I think my work here is done."

"Don't you want to stay and see all the lovely dresses I try on?" She said standing up as he opened the door to leave.

"Not really, sweetheart," he said with a smirk, leaving the room. Max stood at the door as she watched her father leave. As Julian was walking past one of the mannequins, his foot nicked the edge of it, causing it to topple. Max shot her hands out in defense, as did Julian who magnificently caught the display before the very gorgeous dress fell to the ground. He adjusted the stand quickly before placing it carefully back to the way it was.

"Nice," she called out.

He laughed, "You got your elegance from your mother."

Julian began walking away when he turned around and pointed to the dress.

"Try that one on."

With a furrowed eyebrow, she walked out of the dressing room, towards the mannequin that her father nicked with his foot. She looked at the dress. It was nothing she imagined, but oddly enough, she thought it looked beautiful. The way the dress was designed, and how it was cut, Max couldn't help but linger on the dress. She caressed the material, touching it longingly. She could picture herself in the dress, and she could feel how stunning it really was. She pictured her dancing in the dress with Harvey, and also her father, who was surprising a wonderful and elegant dancer. Her father was naturally balanced, and never tripped over anything.

Max's head shot up as she smiled.

_Son of a bitch, he did that on purpose_.

_It was a good choice though_, she thought to herself.

"Miss Harris," the assistant who was partnered with her came up to her, "We've got a few dresses waiting for you in the room-"

"Actually," Max said as she pointed to the dress, "I think I want to try on this one."

* * *

"Do you think she can pull it off?"

Rachel sat impatiently as she waited for Max to come out with her twelfth dress. _Or was it thirteenth?_ Rachel thought anxiously. From puffy ballgowns to ruffled from the waist down, Max tried on dress after dress. Although looking beautiful, she couldn't decide which one to wear, which then transformed into finding the ugliest dresses they could find just to wear them for the hell of it. Max slowly got tired of this and began to worry whether or not she'd find a dress.

Donna, who had been calm the entire appointment, shrugged her shoulders, "Being the wife of a Yeti isn't that bad."

Rachel looked accusingly at the redhead beside her.

"We're supposed to help her."

"And we are," Donna said picking up her water, "it's not our fault every dress she picks isn't suiting her."

Rachel nodded, "Must be Max approved before leaving the building."

"You're damn right it does."

Both ladies turned around to the sound of Max walking towards them. Both the brunette and the redhead's jaw dropped when the Junior Partner made her way towards the platform in front of the mirrors. All three ladies had their eyes on the dress that Max was wearing. Donna's jaw unhinged itself while Rachel's eyes almost fell out of her head. Max could feel herself come alive in the dress. The material clung to her body as if it were sewn onto her. The dress was _made_ for Max, there was no doubt about it. The brunette wearing the dress looked in the mirror as she pirouetted around the round platform, a broad smile showing on her face.

"Oh my God," Rachel and Donna said simultaneously.

"I know," Max said to the girls behind her. From the corner of her eye, Max saw the sales lady come towards her with a veil, crown, and a lot of jewellery. Three other ladies erupted from nowhere, assisting Max with the veil and all of the gems scattered over her body. As the ladies moved out of the way, the future Mrs. Harvey Specter looked in the mirror.

She couldn't breathe.

"It's perfect," she said, laughing as her eyes watered.

She saw Donna and Rachel come up beside her, one on each side.

"You look amazing," Rachel told her.

"Max approved?" Donna asked her.

Max nodded, wiping her tears.

"Definitely."

The blonde assistant came towards the three girls, giving the woman in white a small piece of paper. Max's heart stalled for a moment. Money. Not that it was an issue, but Max worked at a small Chinese restaurant for seven years before going to Jackson Fortworth. She lived off of thirteen dollars an hour. She wasn't used to buying _really_ expensive things. Slowly, she grasped the piece of paper between her fingers, swiftly unfolding it. She exhaled in shock as she looked at the number.

"Wow," Donna said, "That's a lot of shoes."

"That's a lot purses," Rachel said, taking the paper from Max.

"Oh my God," she said, passing the paper to Donna, "This is just only for the dress!"

Donna's eyes widened as she read the paper.

"You might want to collect a lot of legal fees, Max."

Max ignored the redhead, looking at the employee.

"Do you have the total including all the items?"

The lady nodded, producing another piece of paper from her pocket, giving it to Max. She took it, almost in tears as she read the numbers.

"I'm buying a car," Max told herself.

"Oh Max," Donna said rubbing her back, "You clear three times this amount in a day. This is your dress. You deserve it."

She turned to the mirror, looking at the dress again. Who cared about the money? She could afford it. Hell, she knew Harvey would probably fall over from how beautiful she was. She shook her head, giving the piece of paper back to the employee as she walked to her purse, pulling her credit card out of her purse.

"Charge it," Max said, giving her the card.

The employee began to walk away when another employee with blue hair scurried towards her, whispering in her ear. The two had a brief discussion before the blonde turned back towards the three girls. The lady gave Max her card back.

"I'm sorry Miss Harris, it seems that everything has been paid for."

Max raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

The blue haired lady came rushing back towards the blonde, giving her a card.

"Yes, everything has been charged to a one," the blonde looked at the card, "'Harvey Specter'. I'm assuming he's the fiancé."

Max rolled her eyes before picking the dress up.

"Could you please call a few people to help pack all of this up?" She said to the employee, "I need to get out of this dress as quick as possible so I can sit with a cup of tea on my couch as I wait for my fiancé to come home so I can kill him."

The blonde employee stopped in her tracks, not knowing if Miss Harris was joking or not.

* * *

He had to keep her safe.

It was almost ten as Harvey checked his watch, sitting on the couch as he was going over the case file. It was the same file that had been sitting on his coffee table for the past weeks. _Oliver Klades_ was printed neatly at the front of the folder, underneath the _Pearson Hardman_ logo. Harvey had gone over and _over_ on the case. He wanted the trial to go as smoothly as possible. But with this other shit... He sighed, closing the folder as he threw it on the coffee table. That son of a bitch was on _bail_. Klades was running loose in the streets, and there was that threat... and all Harvey wanted to do was box Max up in the house and make sure she didn't leave until she was safe.

But this was Max for God's sake. You couldn't contain her.

Harvey stood up, running a hand over his face as he took off his loosened tie completely, discarding it on the floor. He stood at the window, his tired eyes looking out on the street, thinking about that woman. Max was a fireball; passionate, strong-willed, loving... As much as he thought she was incredible and godly, she always did what he didn't want her to do, which most of the time she wanted to do the craziest thing in the world.

This was the woman he chose to marry. But he didn't regret it. At all.

"Harvey Specter," a powerful voice boomed into the big condo.

He squinted his eyes in frustration. These were one of those times where he questioned whether or not he should have taken Max home on that first date. He turned around to find his black credit card being shoved into his pocket. A pointy finger jabbed into his chest as he stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"You know, it's one thing to buy me things Harvey, I can handle that. But when I find out that you went _behind my back_ to pay for this, it just really irritates me."

"You went behind mine," he said softly.

Max pouted in frustration, "Because I knew that if you got wind of what I was up to, you'd somehow interfere-"

She stopped herself, cursing at the fact that she should have noticed something was off with Harvey the second she got to the apartment. Her eyes widened as she dropped everything in her hands –her purse, her sketches of the dress, her work– and placed her hands on either sides of his face. She looked at him deeply: his eyes were tired and sunken in.

"Harvey?" She asked, pleading, "What happened today?"

He shook his head, looking down.

"Harvey," she said more firmly.

The man in front of her grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away from his face.

"Not now, Max."

Something was wrong. Something was really wrong, and Max finally understood that something bad happened. Something had to, otherwise Harvey was blowing things out of proportion. He gave his back to her, going back to the window. She walked up right beside him, looking at his profile closely. His eyes were red-rimmed. His lips swollen from clamping them together with his teeth from the inside, almost as if he was forcing himself not to break down. Max knew instantly where she had seen that look before. It was when she saw him after Oliver Klades attacked her.

That look meant Harvey knew something, or some_one_,was going to hurt Max.

And he couldn't do anything about it.

"Babe," she said, looking at him.

He sighed, turning to face his love.

"It's nothing I can't fix."

"Okay, what is this _thing_ you can't fix?"

Harvey sighed, turning to face the window again.

"Mistrial."

Max's gasp made Harvey's heart ache with pain.

"Oliver Klades got a mistrial?"

"One of the jurors is missing, as well as all their money in their bank accounts."

_Mother fucker_, Max thought to herself as she pulled away from Harvey, moving towards the couches. Her knees hit the edge of the armrest as she stopped herself, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. No jury meant mistrial, mistrial meant bail, and bail meant Oliver Klades was getting out.

And if Oliver was out...

She shivered, banishing the thought from her mind. The more she was freaked out, the more Harvey freaked out, and at the moment he had a tendency to be a little frazzled, as well as overprotective. Max turned to face him; her tired, overworked, kaput boyfriend who looked as if he was ready to fall to pieces the second he moved. She bit her lip; Harvey was a strong man, and he _did not_ like it when he was forced into a corner. Right now he was in the corner, but the only reason he didn't lash out was because their was leverage over his head, and to Harvey, _that_ was playing dirty, which was the biggest no-no in his life.

But for some reason, Max didn't like this Harvey. Harvey didn't give in just because someone had the upper hand. Harvey knew that there was a hundred and forty-six other ways in a situation, whether or not there was a gun pointed to his head.

"Hey," she said softly, approaching him with caution, "Who are you?"

His head jerked back, "Sorry?"

"Who are you?" Max asked sternly this time, "Because this isn't Harvey Specter."

"Max," Harvey started, but she wasn't having any of it.

"No, because the Harvey Specter I know wouldn't give two shits if there was a mistrial, because he would _know_ how to still destroy Oliver Klades and Cameron Dennis, and anyone else that got in his way. The Harvey Specter I know is ruthless. He gets what he wants and what he wants is to win, and there would be nothing in the world to stop him from winning. The Harvey Specter I _love_ would never be scared or worried if someone he loved was threatened. He would get fucking pissed and rip them a new asshole, whether they deserved it or not."

She poked her finger into his chest, "That's who I want. I want _that_ Harvey Specter. Not this one, who is so afraid," her voice was softer, yet it still had the stern edge it needed, "since when was _my_ Harvey afraid? Out of all the people in the world I would have never expected you to go into a shell."

Max crossed her arms, "Stop being scared and kick some ass, Specter. I need my man ruling the world beside me."

Almost instantly, Harvey's lips were crashing down on Max's lips, harder than his usual kisses, yet still very passionate, and rough. He grasped at her upper arms tightly, and Max couldn't help but melt a little. He pulled away swiftly, smiling widely, as if life was breathed into him again.

"Why couldn't you say shit like that earlier?" He asked her, still holding her in his arms.

"I was pissed at you, shut up," she said, punching him lightly.

He bit his lip, still smiling at her.

"What in the world did I do to deserve perfection like you?"

"Oh no, I'm not perfect Harvey," she said, leaning up to kiss him longingly. She pulled away, a smile content on her face.

"But I am pretty fucking close."

She turned to walk away with her hand still in Harvey's, breaking off at the last minute which caused Harvey's arm to swing back to his body.

"I love you," he shouted towards her.

"Even when I'm a bitch?" She said from the stairs.

"Only on Sundays and every other Wednesday," he said smiling at her.

Max smiled back, and continued walking up the stairs.

Harvey was watching her, making sure she went into the upstairs bathroom, the door shutting behind her. As soon as he heard the water running, he pulled out his cellphone, hitting the speed dial. The phone was to his ear just in time to hear the other line pick up.

"_Satin_."

"Julian, it's Harvey."

"_Specter_," the deep register of Maxine's father rung through the Blackberry, "_you do love calling me when I sleep_."

"I'm nothing if not punctual," Harvey bit back, playing with the black card in his hand, "you visited Max today?"

"_I did. She had trouble choosing._"

"Typical."

"_But their was one that caught her eye._"

Harvey smiled.

"You stuck around."

He could practically hear Julian smile, "_She looked gorgeous._"

"She always does."

"_Remember to breathe, Harvey. I'm afraid she'd kill you if you passed out at your own wedding_."

Harvey nodded, knowing Julian would imagine it in his head.

"Duly noted."

The silence on the other line confirmed the fact that Julian was smiling before the line went dead. Harvey put the phone back in his pockets before going to the file that was on his desk. Harvey knew that he wasn't freaking out over the Klades case. Yes, it was a mistrial, but Harvey could clean that up in a heartbeat. But there was another case that had Harvey worried, and he knew he shouldn't say _shit_ to Max. He didn't know what to do if she knew what was going on, and Harvey had to thank every God out their that Max didn't find out what he was up to. Because to Max, the file on the coffee table was the Oliver Klades file, where he would work on it in front of her, unconcerned of how she would react. Her eyes could roam over every word, and that wouldn't worry Harvey.

But the file locked in his office labelled 'Evan James Wade' was something that Max would never lay her eyes on.

* * *

_**What!**_

_**Harvey's hiding something! Whatever could it be?**_

_**Leave your speculations in the reviews!**_

_**xoxo N.**_


	3. Lassie

_**Hey Everyone!**_

_**I know, you're all excited for another update!**_

_**I am too, since I came up with this mind-blowing-ly fantastic plot. It's so good I just want to jump up and down and just keep writing and writing until my fingers bleed and I can't see the screen anymore. I know, I'm amazing. So, just to clarify, I have been getting a lot of personal messages as to if I have a tumblr. Believe it or not, I actually do have one. I've had it for a while.**_

_**It is: thesongsweforgottoplay tumblr com**_

_**(Take out the spaces, if you were wondering).**_

_**If you'd like to check it out, or send me a message, don't be shy, feel free to!**_

_**Anyways,**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**P.S. Suits is not mine.**_

* * *

If Donna would allow anyone to surpass her greatness, it would be no one other the Ezra Portwood. The man had the ears of an elephant. He could hear everything about everyone; the way they breathed, the way they moved, and the way they walked. He trained himself to catalogue every step belonging to every person that stepped foot in the building. After the Klades fiasco, Ezra made it his personal job to never let anyone in Max's office without him knowing _for sure_ that there was no threat. So if he heard them walking towards her office, he could stop them before they were even able to see her through the window.

So when Ezra heard the footsteps of Mister Fredrick "Freddy" van Greten, a celebrity blogger most known for exposing the story of Maxine Harris and Harvey Specter, he knew shit was about to go down.

His head whipped up, over the cubicle wall, just in time to see the grotesque man veering his way towards the Junior Partner's office, where Max was comfortably going over a multimillion dollar deal. Before Ezra could stand up, he saw the navy-blue suit in front of him, the white collared shirt open a few buttons, with the white napkin contrasting the blue, yet the tie missing. The redhead rolled his eyes. Didn't men realize dressing like a slob wasn't fashion? Dressing impeccably, with expensive suits, vests and _ties_, was the only way for people to notice the seriousness and dedication a man had. Well, it was no wonder that no one took van Greten seriously.

"Hey, Eric, right?" Freddy asked, placing a file on the wall of the cubicle.

"Ezra," the man deadpanned, eyeing the papers with annoyance. He liked a clean working area.

"Yeah, Ethan," the blogger said nonchalantly, resting his forearms on the cubicle wall while clasping his hands, which only irritated Ezra more, "I just need to ask you a question-"

"No."

Freddy raised an eyebrow, "You don't even know what the question is."

"Yes, I do," Ezra said, going back to typing, "You were going to ask me if I thought that working for a woman so powerful would be embarrassing for me, which is not."

Before Freddy could open his mouth, Ezra looked at him.

"And no, I fully believe Maxine Harris is capable of maintaining her position, if not exceeding it. There is no way she doesn't deserve what she has."

Freddy shifted his position, "Yeah, but she must treat you like an underling, right?"

_Now_ Ezra wasn't annoyed. He was pissed.

The redhead stood up from his seat, and Freddy's eyes widened. He never noticed this, but Max's secretary was actually... quite huge. The man stood at six-two, six-three at the most. But Ezra wasn't just tall, he was buff and bulky. His shoulders seem to fill the suit perfectly, and it was a rather large suit. His biceps could easily be traced if he flexed his muscles underneath his suit. His chest was puffed out in anger, and his rather large hands were placed on either side of Freddy, ultimately trapping him. The celebrity blogger had never feared for his life more than he did at the moment. All he wanted was dirt on Max, and his tip told him to go through her secretary, a passive man, he was told. But Freddy knew he was going to kick his tip's ass for being the stupidest man in the world.

"Max treats me better than any other human being would. Don't assume anything other than that."

The blonde man swallowed as he nodded.

"Thank you... for your time, Mister Portwood."

Freddy van Greten collected the files he had placed on the wall of the cubicle before swiftly escaping the clutches of Ezra Portwood. The big redheaded man allowed himself to smile at that moment, appreciating the fact that he could intimidate anyone he so pleased. He stood straight, fixing his jacket as well as his tie.

"Can you actually do that for everyone who comes?"

He knew the voice was coming from the speaker, but he turned to see Max looking at him, a playful smile on her face as she still held the file in her hand. Ezra smiled back at her, sitting down in the process.

"Only for the dicks, Max."

Max snubbed her face in annoyance and sadness, "What if they're all dicks?"

"Then we're going to have some fun," the man said, going back to typing on his computer.

The woman smiled fondly, going back to the file in her lap. A few minutes later, Max couldn't help but advert her eyes from anywhere from the file. She was interested in the Welsher case a few moments ago, and now it had no interest. She sighed, closing the file softly. Her mind had been everywhere but the office. The wedding was a few months from now, yet the press was eating up every minute of it. She sighed in frustration, twirling her pen in her hand. She needed a quiet place to think. Her office was surrounded by work, and Harvey's apartment screamed Harvey, even if he wasn't there. Her place was too far for a quick break, and she couldn't casually go into a restaurant or coffee shop, knowing some moron with a camera would be all over her. Max's eyes travelled to the small pair of shoes in the corner. She smirked, knowing full well that her baby shoes, the ones that were her mother's favourite, was bought by her father.

Inspiration hit her instantly, with Max grabbing her purse quickly, running out of the office.

"Ezra hold my calls. If Harvey's wondering where I am, tell him I'm at my father's work."

The redhead's head shot back, "Are you sure? You seem like you're going to visit your mother."

"Oh," Max said smiling, "I am. It's just that Harvey strongly dislikes cemeteries."

Ezra nodded, "He's afraid of stepping on people?"

"That, and he ends up being depressed for a few days," she shifted her mouth at that part, "Harvey's told me so many times that if I just asked him upfront, he'd answer. I feel like I'm missing something, but I just don't have the heart to ask."

The man nodded, "Logical. If he asks, I'll tell him you're at your father's work, which is Pilates, which is secret cake tasting."

"God put you on this earth to amaze me everyday," she said, blowing him a kiss.

"Say hi to Mama Harris for me."

* * *

On the other side of the office floor, the one and only Harvey Specter was making his way to the office, cup of coffee in hand. The soft carpet underneath him made no sound as he glided to his destination. The sound of his associates heavy footsteps as the blond ran towards him caused him to roll his eyes. Mike wasn't well known for being discreet. His footsteps slowed to a brisk jog, and then a quick walk to catch up with Harvey. Soon, the younger man was matching the older man's stride.

"So, you remember that thing?"

"What thing?"

"That _thing_ you told me not to look into?"

Harvey's agitation increased. _Fucking Mike..._

"That _thing_ that I warned you about that if you looked into it I will sell you to Louis for an infinite amount of time?"

"No you wouldn't," they arrived to Donna's desk at that moment, "because I didn't look into it."

Harvey stopped, eyeing Mike.

_Oh, that's how you're going to play it._

"Are we speaking on hypothetical terms here?"

Mike smirked.

"Hypothetically speaking, we are hypothetically speaking."

Both were aware of Donna's interest as they continued into Harvey's office.

"What did you find?" Harvey said, sitting at his desk.

The blond sat in the chairs in front of his desk, "Well, assuming this is all ideal... say there was an individual who had been released on bail."

"How recent?" Harvey asked, while writing down on a piece of paper.

"Very recent. Say, a week ago." Mike asked, slowly peeking over at the paper he was writing on.

"Why would this be important?" Harvey said, discreetly giving the paper to Mike.

_Klades?_ The piece of paper showed.

The blonde grabbed the pen from Harvey, scribbling down what he had to write as he spoke.

"It would be important because this would relate to the victim that could, hypothetically be important to a certain lawyer."

"Continue with the hypothetical," Harvey said taking the paper from him. He read it quickly.

_No. Wade._

"If he showed interest in that victim, say, very recently, how would you react?"

Harvey's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Stop with the hypothetical theories. Did he or did he not make contact?"

"No, no," Mike shook his head, "I'm actually trying to think of all the possibilities. I have an idea of how you would react, I just need to know if it's true."

"If you thought that I would take a bat to both his knees..."

"Then yes, I knew how you'd react," Mike said, nodding.

Harvey sighed, "So, she's okay?"

"Fine now. He hasn't made contact."

"Have you found him?"

Mike shook his head.

"Guy's a ghost. No driver's license, no address, no health or social... Damn guy doesn't even have a library card."

"Having fun isn't hard..." Harvey mumbled under his breath.

Mike stopped for a second before shrilling in laughter. Harvey couldn't help but smile a bit, as he desperately tried to hide it in a smirk.

"The fact that you know that feels me with such joy-"

"Listen," Harvey said sobering up, "Find him soon."

Mike nodded, "I will."

The blond stood up, heading to leave his office. Suddenly, before he pulled the door open, he turned to face Harvey.

"You know that you're not the only one who cares about her."

Harvey looked up to see Mike with a small smile on his face.

"I'm glad," the light brunette said towards the associate. The said associate smiled before leaving the office. Before Harvey was going back to his work, the voice of the powerful redhead rang through his phone.

"You're so overprotective, Harvey. Klades isn't going to come after Max."

_That's not who I'm only worried about._

"Can't be too sure Donna," he said without looking up from his work.

"Are you overprotective because of-"

"_Donna_," Harvey warned.

He didn't want to go there.

She rolled her eyes.

"If you're so worried, why don't you have a tail put on her?"

Now Harvey looked up.

"Because the only in the world who could kill me, would kill me."

Donna gave him a look.

"One of the two women in the world who could kill me, would kill me," he corrected himself.

She smiled, dialling the phone that was connected to Harvey's.

"I didn't say you had to. Line 3."

Harvey picked up the phone, waiting for the call to go through, while wondering what the hell Donna was up to.

* * *

$7,963,928,012.19

That's how much Julian Satin had in his bank account.

Which was his personal account. His business account was well over that number, yet it was in a constant state of flux, so Julian never considered it as a factor. He knew he was rich. Obnoxiously rich. So rich that he could fill a swimming pool fill with hundred dollar bills and burn it all, and still have enough money to do it the next day. He had enough money to buy one car from every car company, and buy a large parking structure to hold them all. He had enough money to buy a country... Okay, he had enough money to buy _another_country. Considering he owned a Manhattan street, it was well aware that Julian Satin was one of the richest people in the world.

And yet, his daughter still would not let him pay for the wedding.

His beautiful and smart baby girl would not take a cent that she did not earn. At first, Julian was annoyed. Really, there was no sense in her purchasing anything. Maxine didn't even have to work for a living. But that was when he stopped himself and realized that Jojo did an amazing job at raising a perfect girl- _woman_ like Maxine Penelope Harris. She went for what she believed in, worked hard at it, and continued to do what she loved. Julian made it no secret that he worked hard for his money. So hard that he lost his family to his drive to make money. But no amount of money is worth knowing he could have been a part of raising his daughter to be a great human being.

He eternally thanked Jocelyn for that.

"Mister Satin?" His secretary said through the speaker, "I have Harvey Specter on the line."

_What in the hell..._ "Put him through, Helen."

The light blinked red as Julian put the phone to his ear.

"This isn't when you usually call Harvey."

"_Not my decision_," the man on the other line said bitterly, "_I'm calling in a favour._"

"I owe you one?" Julian said oddly.

"_Well, you will when I tell you how to buy Max whatever she wants._"

Julian laughed, "I figured that out a long time ago, Harvey."

"_Really? What might that entail-_"

"Leaving your credit card at the front desk and practically forcing the employees to run it through when Max approaches the register. Trust me Harvey, it doesn't end well."

There was a silence on the other side of the line.

"Specter," Julian said plainly.

"_Let's assume that you do owe me one,_" the man continued on, "_and if you did, I'd ask you to put a person on Max._"

Julian's eyebrows rose, "You want me to put a tail on Max?"

"_Desperate times, Julian._"

"I know Klades is out," the older man said, leaning back in his leather chair, "I've got security all over his home, as well as Cameron Dennis' home. There's no way he's getting to her-"

"_Not him,_" Harvey said.

Julian sat straight up.

"What?" he asked.

"_Not him,_" Harvey drawled out, "_Someone with more significance._"

Julian thought for a moment.

_Who could possibly..._

No.

No way.

No way in _hell._

"Wade?" He asked incredulously. "He's out?"

"_Last week._"

Julian put the phone down, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly. He breathed deeply. He knew he couldn't lose his shit in the office. Also, he was too dignified to be throwing shit across the room. He placed his elbows on his desk, head in his hands as he picked up the phone, his eyes still on his desk.

"I put him there myself," Julian said slowly, "I paid a lot of money for him to go away-"

"_But now he's back,_" Harvey retorted, "_Good behaviour._"

The old man sighed, "Has he gone after Max?"

"_No, he hasn't made any attempt to, none that we're aware of,_" Harvey sighed, "_I don't want to take a chance._"

"Safe than sorry."

"_Yeah, but I also don't want Max going after him._"

The thought struck Julian oddly.

"I never thought that she would... But now that you bring it up, there is that possibility that she _will_ do something stupid."

"_I'd rather have her pissed at me than in jail. She could do some damage, Julian. Really, serious damage._"

"She was screwed from the beginning," Julian said, smirking at the thought, "Both of her parents are vengeful."

"_So you'll put a tail on her?_"

"No," Julian said, going through his phone book to find his 'personal section', "I'm going to put three."

He could practically hear Harvey's smile, "_I knew I liked you for a reason._"

"The thought is reciprocated, Specter," Julian said smiling, before hanging up.

"Helen," he called out to the secretary. A few seconds later, the blonde secretary stuck her head in.

"Yes, Mister Satin?" She asked softly.

"Call the guys in Sector six. I need a few of them."

* * *

"You're awfully quiet."

Max humoured herself as she placed the flowers on her mother's tombstone. Kicking off her heels, she sat down in front of the cold stone, tucking her legs underneath her as she shifted some of her weight on her arm on the grass. Max sat up straighter when she felt a oddly warm breeze pass by her. It was so warm that it was distinct. It reminded her of her mother, and how she held her whenever Max needed to hold her, and the warmth that radiated off Jocelyn was Max's favourite feeling in the world. Harvey holding her was a very close second.

Max smiled to herself, "Thanks for that, Mom."

The woman picked at a piece of dirt stuck on the headstone, making sure that it was in perfect condition. Her mother deserved cleanliness after all.

"I like talking to you. Although you weren't a great listener... but yet when you did listen, you always gave some pretty good advice. Most of the time, anyway."

Max sighed, running a hand through her hair, "I don't need any advice, Mom. I just needed somewhere to be quiet, and I wanted to be quiet with you."

The silence didn't phase Max.

"Of course you've heard me talk about how the press just absolutely _loves_ Harvey and I, possibly more than we love each other."

The brunette smiled again, "I thought that Harvey would never tell me he loves me, Ma. But every day that I wake up, he's there, telling me he loves me."

She wrapped her arms around herself, "God, that's such an amazing feeling. Having someone tell you they love you. It feels like... you matter. You're not put on this earth just because. You are here for a purpose. You're here because you're loved, and that is one of the best feelings in the world, just because somebody says these small words. The words are so small, yet they mean so much. The power they have is... unbelievable."

Max looked at the stone again with bittersweet eyes.

"Maybe that's why you always told me you loved me. So that you could hear me say that I love you too."

The same breeze that was there earlier came again, only this time it came with such force and warmth, that Max smiled instantly. It was almost like she could feel her mother there, holding her, telling her it'll be alright. A moment too soon, the wind faded, and Max felt so calm and at ease that she didn't even remember what was stressing her earlier. Jojo had that effect on people; no matter who she was with, they always seemed to forget their problems, and enjoy the moment.

Max wasn't antsy anymore.

The woman kissed her hand, placing it on the rock in front of her.

"Been dead for almost twelve years, and can still fix any problem I have," Max said in disbelief.

She sniffled, standing up.

"I love you, Mom. You're still amazing."

Max gathered her shoes and belongings as she walked over to the pavement where a bench was conveniently placed. She sat down, placing her grass-ridden feet inside the expensive shoe, not caring about the dirt inside. As she was putting on her other shoe, she happened to lift her head up to see an old man walking towards her with a bucket filled with gardening supplies. The man seemed harmless, until he got a good look on Max. Recognition came across his face as he proceeded to walk closer to her. Max, in fear, braced herself. She didn't have a good track record with old men approaching her with objects that could be used as weapons. But oddly enough the man had a warm smile on his face, and excitement in his eyes. The old man stopped in front of Max, mesmerized.

"Oi, 'scuse me, ma'am," Max picked up on the UK accent instantly, but couldn't pick up where.

"Yes?" She asked politely.

"Are ya the, uh, leannan to that big hotshot lawyer all over the press?"

Max's eyebrows furrowed, "I'm sorry?"

"That lassie... uh, what 'cha call it..."

The man snapped his fingers, "The _garl_ with Specter. Funny, me think me heard that name before..."

Max was positive she heard '_Da gurl widd Speck-tur_', but she could easily figure out what he was saying.

"Harvey Specter?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

The man laughed as he clapped in happiness, "Yeah! That's the one! Ya must be his lady friend-"

"Max Harris," she said, holding her hand out to him.

The white-haired man looked at the hand as if it were made from gold. He shook it firmly with a wide smile.

"Sorry to seem a wee bit happy, but a garl such as yarself with all that loot and fame isn't usually hanging around cemeteries..."

He stopped shaking her hand, a ghostly look on his face.

Max's eyebrows furrowed.

"Is everything alright?"

The old man cursed to himself, "Harris... the name did sound a tad familiar. I should have _knoown_ betta' than open me mouth without sending me condolences."

The man took off his hat before he bowed before her, "Sorry about'cha ya mum, Miss Harris. She's been a fine resident here if it's any conciliation."

The brunette nodded. "Thank you, Mister..."

The old man shook his head back in disbelief, "Oi, lassie! Give'n me such a spin, making me lose me own damn manna's!"

_Manna's?_

Max rolled her eyes.

_Manners, he means._

"Allow me to introduce me-self," the man stood straight in front of her, and Max kept her mouth shut in order not to laugh at his attempt for manners.

"Collin Addis McMcmullian," he said proudly, "I've been the caretaka' here for a wee bit over half cent'ry."

"Fifty years?" Max asked in disbelief.

"Fifty two, Miss Harris, and not a day ova'," Collin said happily.

She ran his last name over her head.

_McMcmullian... Mick-mick-mull-un._

_Charming_, she thought.

"How in the world did you get into a job like this?" She asked him honestly.

"Well, me twin and I, Charlie and me, we left Ireland behind after me parents left each _odda_, which was good for us. Came to New York with not a nickle to our name. So? Whatcha goin' work for if ya got no work? Well, ya do what no one botha' to do."

He raised his hands towards the graves, which caused Max to laugh.

"I can see that," she said smiling, "But doesn't bother you? All these people here? And the quiet?"

Collin smiled at the girl beside him, "No, it doesn't. But thank ya, Miss Harris."

Max sat back, "For what?"

"For calling these fine folks 'people' instead of 'dead' and knowing the difference between 'quiet' and 'silence'."

He leaned it, "Shows that heart gotta lot a respect in ya. I appre'cate that."

Max smiled, blushing, "Well, then you're going to have to thank that woman right there."

She pointed to her mother's tombstone, a good ten feet in front of where they were sitting. Collin nodded before cupping his mouth with his hands before shouting, "Thank ya, dear beautiful Miss Harris. You raised a _loovely_ baby garl."

The brunette laughed, "You are quite the character, Mister-"

"Oi, don'tcha be callin' me mister. It's Collin to you, young lady."

She smiled, "You are quite the character, Collin."

The old man nodded, "Why, thank ya."

Max settled in the bench, fully content on where she was, "So, what do you do here besides maintain the yard?"

A few seconds later, Collin pointed to the grave in front of him, "Cathy Richards, stroke. Sixty-six."

He pointed to one a few down from her, in the back, "Ivan Kolovik, car accident. _Thurtee_ one."

"You know them all?" Max asked, astonished. There were thousands of graves in the cemetery.

Collin rolled his eyes, as if that was old news, "Of course, lassie. I've got to. It's me job. Charlie is just as good as me. Although he got his own cemetery a far."

"How far?" Max asked.

Collin thought about it for a moment.

"Well, few hours. But me thinks a train ride be betta."

"And your brother, Charlie, knows all of his people?"

Collin nodded, "Yeah. I know his people too, and Charlie knows my people."

"That's..." Max did the guess-timate math in her head, "...over-"

"Six thousand graves, ye," the old man said with a smile, "I may be old Miss Harris, but me memory workin' just fine."

The man stood up to gather his things, "My brain may be slow, ye, but it works."

Max stood as well, "I wouldn't doubt it for one second."

She began walking back to her Vespa with Collin walking right beside her, them having small talk, which was rather lovely to Max. She realized that Collin was a very jolly and _very_ Irish man who insisted that she put on a few pounds, as women these days were just too skinny. She took that with a grain of salt and consideration as she neared the gates of the cemetery. Before she left, she heard Collin call out to her.

"Miss Harris!" Collin said walking closer to her.

"Yes?"

"Me remember that name, Specter," Collin said proudly, tapping his temple, "Told ya me brain work slow."

She nodded, not knowing where this was going, "Yes, what about Harvey?"

"Not that Specter, Miss Harris," the old man said with a toothy grin, "talkin' bout the one residing at me brother's cemetery."

The blood from Max's face faded, stopping her heart as well.

"There's a Specter that's... at your brother's cemetery?" She asked, not believing what she heard. She blamed it on the heavy accent.

"Ye, name be Gordon. Gordon Specter. Heart attack, the poor fella. Charlie told me that 'erry year, a big hotshot stops at his grave with a bottle and two glasses. Looks like a father 'nd son kinda thing. Refined man, Charlie tells me. Could be yer Specter."

The man patted her arm, "Have a lovely day, lassie."

As Collin began walking away, Max's closed her eyes. She now knew why Harvey hated cemeteries. Now she knew why he didn't like talking about his parents, or his little brother. She shook her head. No wonder Harvey was so protective over her. That's why he was always afraid that she'd leave, or that he'd lose her. Because Harvey already lost someone that meant so much to him. Because Harvey had already gone through the pain of losing someone so significant in his life that he couldn't do it again. No wonder it destroyed Harvey when she left him. He felt like he lost her. And when Klades was after her... She laughed at herself. Who was she to think Harvey had a perfect life? He never told her otherwise... but she never asked. She never _thought_ to ask.

Realization hit her. No wonder it took Harvey so long to say 'I love you'. He must have been afraid that if he said it out loud, and he finally got her, that she'd be taken from him.

She rested her head against the cold iron fence.

_Oh Harvey, why don't I just ask you these things..._

* * *

_**I had a feeling Harvey's father was dead a few episodes back, when Jessica walks into the room to talk to Harvey, but he stops her and points to the record playing, saying "My dad". It was too bittersweet to be appreciation, and it was more remembrance. I was praying to God I was right because I did not like changing my story line (I want my story to be as accurate to the show as much as I possibly can). Although I am sad to admit it, I was glad I was right.**_

_**ON THE NEXT TPOG: Who is this Wade character, and why is he so important? Donna goes on the hunt to find out the truth that her boss and the puppy have been hiding. All the while, Harvey wakes up to realize it's the beginning of Oliver Klades trial... and Max is no where to be found. So where could she be? Her apartment? Harvey's apartment? The cemetery? Or perhaps visiting an old friend...**_

_**Until next time...**_

_**xoxo N**_


	4. Buddha

_**Hey Everyone!**_

_**Okay, I'm going to be honest. There is no excuse for not updating. I was busy, yes, but that isn't a reason to be depriving all of you from the story! All I can do is apologize, which is the God honest truth. I am so very sorry I haven't updated. Hopefully you all can forgive me, as I will try to update more often.**_

_**So, enjoy!**_

_**P.S. Suits is not mine. If it was, we wouldn't have to wait until January for new episodes.**_

* * *

Maxine Harris knew Harvey Specter like she knew Don Quixote, and Max had her degree in English proudly hung in her office. How his walk indicated how he felt. How when he brewed his coffee with light and dark beans meant he was trying to treat himself to perfection. How if he wore his favourite dark red tie, he was feeling adventurous. So she obviously knew that waking up at six o'clock in the morning on the day of Oliver Klades' trial and being noisy and distracting was a bad idea. She knew Harvey would be awake the second the sun hit the windows, working diligently, yet quietly in order not to disturb Max. Jessica, thankfully, had given her the day off, knowing that she'd have to mentally prepare for the next day of the trial, where she would testify in court. But like Harvey, Max was awake as well, only she was lying in bed, softly breathing as to not disturb Harvey. But it only lasted for so long.

Harvey was doing the same, trying not to disturb Max as he was pacing the lower half of the apartment, making sure every little detail of the case was clean and air-tight. There was no way in hell that there would be any stopping him.

He dealt with the mistrial; after finally contacting the missing juror (in actually Mike found her, but Harvey wouldn't admit to that), they convinced her to get her back on the case. It was easy, considering Harvey was smart and Julian would have probably done something drastic (if he didn't already). Harvey stopped pacing, and sat down of the couch; his legs shaking from the anxiety. Cameron Dennis was a good attorney, he'd admit that, but there was no way in hell he was a better lawyer that Harvey. He needed this case. He needed Oliver to go down. He would have been rooting for the poor guy if he didn't attack Max. That was something Harvey couldn't forgive.

"Babe, I can hear you thinking."

Harvey looked up to see her, leaning against the railing. She still had that sleeping glow to her, and all Harvey's worries vanished for the moment. Her hair was in disarray as she was in a silk sleeping dress that reached her mid thigh. Wrapping the matching robe around her, she smirked at him, resting her hands on the railing. Harvey couldn't help but smile. He could be broke, homeless, and missing an arm... but if he had Max by his side, he'd feel like the luckiest man in the world.

"That's because my thoughts speak volumes."

She laughed, her face still flushed and her lips still plump, "Good answer."

Harvey leaned back, and Max couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was wearing a white cotton t-shirt and dark sweats, but he couldn't have looked any more gorgeous. His shirt hugged each ripple, and his pants hung just right. He ran a hand through his hair, and she loved how he didn't style it just yet. His soft eyes looked at her, her heart melting as he motioned with his hand to come down. She pushed herself off of the railing, making her way down the glass and marble staircase. Walking across the floor, Harvey held his arms open, which Max gladly went to, snuggling to his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're scared," she said to him.

"I'm not," he said stubbornly.

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"A bit, but nothing to throw me off my game."

"I know," she said, her elbow resting on the back of the couch as she ran her fingers through his locks, "I just wanted to say it out loud so you don't forget it."

"Forget that I'm scared?" He said with humour in his eyes.

"Forget that you're human, babe," she smiled.

Her hands stayed in his hair, "A good lawyer is smart, quick, and charming. A great lawyer can kick someone's ass and still look like the good guy."

She leaned in, "Because he shows that he's just like everyone else at the end of the day: a person."

Harvey smiled, leaning in to meet her lips sweetly.

"Has anyone told you that you should have written a book?" Harvey mumbled against her lips.

She smiled, "What, like self-help?"

"Doctor Phil shit, basically."

Max pulled away, smiling, "I'll stick with law."

The conversation quieted down, Harvey's arm around her waist while Max still had her elbow on the back of the couch, stroking his hair. They said calmly in each other's arms.

"I want to change it," Harvey said softly.

Max's eyebrows furrowed for a second before realizing what he was saying.

"Your hair?"

"Yeah."

She looked at him.

"Short?"

"Blond."

Her eyes popped.

"_Blond_?"

"Blond," he said, leaning into her touch.

Max looked at his hair; the dark chestnut locks were dark and long. Although Max loved the colour of his hair immensely, she liked his hair a bit shorter. But blond? Harvey was her brunette boy; she loved him with dark hair. It made him look good. She couldn't imagine him blond. But Harvey was very understanding of what she wanted...

"I'll let you go blond if you go short."

He looked at her, the left corner of his mouth turned up, amused.

"Yeah?"

"Yes," she said, "Harvey, whatever you want, I'll support."

"I wasn't even thinking about cutting it, but now that you bring it up, I just might."

Max looked at him, "Short and light... Might as well be from Cali."

"The dumb blond jokes?" He asked, his head tilting to the side with his puppy eyes.

"Oh, I wasn't even going to say anything about that."

He smiled, grabbing Max softly, pulling her into his lap, her legs over on one side.

"Blonds have more fun," Harvey said smiling at her, pulling her down for a kiss.

She smirked, "But brunettes remember it the next day."

"That's how you're gonna play it?"

"I never said I played fair."

Harvey grinned at Max.

"That's my girl."

She kissed him again, letting herself melt in his arms. But Max's mind was always on overdrive, and she knew Harvey had work. Very, very important work.

"What time is it?" She asked, pulling away.

"Almost six."

"Seriously?" Max asked, getting up, "I'm awake at this hour?"

She began walking towards the kitchen, turning the coffee machine on. Harvey grabbed the work on the table, finally getting back to work before that grateful break. By the off-hand, Harvey made small talk with Max, asking her the most obvious question.

"I heard you left the office early yesterday, where'd you go?"

Max froze. At that moment, the memory of the cemetery and Collin and finding out that Harvey's dad was also sleeping eternally caused her emotions to hit a wall. Should she bring up his father straight out or subtly? Or should she bring him up at all? She sighed, relaxed her shoulders, and answered.

"I went to see my mom."

She anticipated Harvey's tense shoulders.

"Really? She tell you anything good?"

"She calmed me down," she said, "Just like you always do."

He turned to her, "Why didn't you come to me?"

"Office was too hectic for me, and I guess I was scared," she clasped the mug in her hand, enjoying the warmth, "Plus, I know you were busy with the trial. I didn't want to upset you over something trivial like a mini-freak out."

She noticed as she sipped her coffee that Harvey didn't like that answer. He stood up, making his way towards her. His demeanor changed, and Max could tell from the second he puffed out his chest slightly that he was feeling protective.

Typical.

"Maxine," Harvey said so oddly that Max herself stopped from throwing her head back in shock. Harvey _never_called Max by her full name.

"You are my first priority," he continued, "I put you higher than everyone and everything," he pulled her close, looking down at her sweetly as she examined the sugar in her coffee "so that means when you're having a 'mini-freak out' like yesterday, you know you can come to me, someone who can at least talk back to you to make you feel better."

Harvey pulled her chin up, looking into her hazels. Always and forever were they beautiful eyes, and they always held the spunk and spark that Max was known for.

"Just know that... that I love you, and I always want you to be happy."

Max knew how hard it was for Harvey to say 'I love you' (which made her love him even more for trying so hard). She looked up at him, standing on the tips of her toes, as she met his lips.

"Harvey," she murmured, "You will always be my knight in shining Armani," she mirrored his smile after saying it, "but sometimes I have to do things on my own," his smile fell just a fraction, "not because I don't want you to help, but sometimes there's just nothing you can do."

"Even though I could do something," he murmured to her.

She nodded as she put her coffee on the counter before turning his body around, "Yes, you could. And you can start by focusing on the case because I am clearly becoming a distraction."

She lightly shoved him towards the couch, where he threw his hands up in defeat. As he sat down to focus on the case, Max mentally sighed in relief. She was so close to letting something slip about Harvey's father that it was driving her nuts. Should she or should she not bring it up? Should she wait for him to say it? Or should she just make wedding plans and include 'Mr. & Mrs. Specter' and see what he says?

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of all those thoughts. As Max picked up her coffee, she looked at Harvey's silhouette. She knew for a fact that his philophobia was his biggest competition in his life. It was so hard for Harvey to love that it got Max to thinking; was it hard for him to love because he never learned how? Did he grow up in a home where no one showed their love to him, or loved him at all? Max began walking to Harvey's bedroom when she paused on the stairs. Who would dare to not love Harvey? Her babe was an amazing human being. He was confident and brilliant and everything that every man should be. He was strong and gentile at the same time. Granted, his flaw was a huge one, but Harvey didn't ignore it anymore. She smiled as she looked at him as he was focused. Harvey's fear of love was evident every day. But what was also evident every day was his love for Max. And the fear of losing her rather than the fear of loving her for the rest of his life forced him to make a decision.

He chose to stay with her, and Max knew that choosing her scared the hell out of him.

She placed her coffee on the stairs before walking towards Harvey, whose eyes were on the pages in front of him. She walked up to him quietly, pulling the file out of his hand. Ignoring his confused eyes, she leaned down, grabbing his face.

"You are an amazing man, and you are the greatest joy in my life. You've shown me how strong I can be, and you have made me a better person," she looked deep into his chocolate orbs, dripping with interest.

"I love you, so much," she said, emotion softly making way through her tone, "and I treasure every time you tell me that you love me, Harv. Because I know how hard it is."

He grabbed her hands, kissing them before she pulled away. She smiled at him, and turned towards the stairs.

"And if you ever call me Maxine again, I might die from shock," she threw over her shoulder at him, and the sound of Harvey's laughter made her day that much better.

"And next time you freak out, let me know, alright?" He said with a smile.

She began walking up to the bedroom when it hit her. Max knew that it was the day of the trial, but the reality began to sink in at the moment.

This was her third major freak-out, with two within several days. The first freak-out about her mother was acceptable, and the mistrial's was understandable. But the day before was just on a whim, and Max was never one to freak out. She walked into the closet, her mind working over time. Why was it that she was stressed lately? She never was like this when Harvey and she were dating-

_But Harvey and I aren't dating anymore_, Max thought to herself.

They weren't dating. They were _engaged_.

She was going to marry him. Max knew she wanted to be with Harvey for possibly the rest of her life. There was no denying that she was in love with the man of her dreams. But _marriage_ was a huge deal, and the brunette woman felt something in the pit of her stomach that resembled fear. Anxiety, maybe? She shook her head; Max knew the difference between fear and anxiety, and this was nowhere near what she usually felt when she was anxious.

She bonked her head against the expensive wood.

_Great, Harvey's afraid of falling in love, and I'm afraid of staying in love._

And she knew what was making her frazzled.

But it wasn't a what. It was a _who_.

* * *

Michael James Ross was a man of many talents: he could read an 800 page by-law, file all of Harvey's shit work, convince a client to make a multimillion dollar decision, and do it all with a smile on his face while running on an hour a sleep (Mike always rounded up) and several cans of Redbull.

So when he saw Donna Paulsen sitting at his desk with a coy smile on her face, Mike knew that he was not ready for the shit that was going to arise.

"Donna," he said curtly, placing the several stacks of paper he had in his hand on his desk sharply.

"Michael," she said sweetly.

_Fuck me_.

"What is it? Another skinny latte with cream and sugar?" He said with ease.

She smirked, pulling a file from the small pile hidden on his desk. The second she slipped it out of all the others, Mike's face drained of colour. He knew Donna was going to find out, but he didn't know that she was going to figure it out so quickly. She gave the file to him accusingly.

"Who is E.J.W?"

_Thank God Harvey writes in code._

"I'm sworn to secrecy," he said.

"Bullshit," Donna said, her face turning serious all of a sudden.

"Harvey doesn't hide things from me," the fiery redhead stood, and although Mike was taller, he felt small at the moment, "So when I found out that Harvey has a secret file hidden among all the hidden things, I start to think the worst," she crossed her arms, "and the only way that Harvey would be keeping secrets these days would be because of a, one, Maxine Penelope Harris."

Mike tried to hide his gulp.

"So whatever you have hidden, I want to know, and I want to know it _now_," she whispered to him.

Mike, fearing for his life, regrettably shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Donna. But this isn't something I can just share with you."

Donna exhaled harshly, "Don't tell me this just because you're trying to mess around with me."

"I swear to God, this isn't a joke," he told her, more confidence in his voice, "this is serious."

"How serious?" Donna's face became serene,

"Max's life serious."

That shut Donna up quickly. She stood up straight, fixing her dress.

"Then we must never speak of this again."

Before Mike could utter another word, she sashayed away from his office, and away from cubicle world. So, Mike told her to stay out of it. And she could do it… for a certain amount of time… and she didn't have to stay out of it at _that_ exact moment. She smirked to herself; before she'd stay out of it, she'd do some investigative work. When she knew that she was getting in too deep, and she was finding too much information, she would gladly step down, and never utter another word. But for now, she was going to dig up every deep and dark detail that she could find. She pulled out her cellphone concealed in her pocket, quickly dialing a number she knew off by heart.

"Vanessa? It's Donna. Remember that time I saved you from the Times Square fiasco? I'm calling in a favour…"

* * *

The carpet in Harvey's condo was irritating to him as he made his way back towards his home. Damn him for being at the courthouse and forgetting one of the files. Harvey checked his watch again, noticing he still had just less than two hours before the trial. He called Max several times, but he figured she'd be sleeping away the day. As he approached the door, fumbling with his keys before finding the right one. As he turned the lock, he pushed the door open, shouting into the house.

"Max, babe," he said, walking towards the kitchen counter, "Your phone keeps going to voicemail. Just making sure you're okay."

He picked up the file, reading over the words. As soon as he picked up the file, he noticed that the house was eerily quiet. He lifted his head up, shutting the file.

"Max?" He called to the open space.

No answer.

_She's probably asleep,_ he thought, making his way towards his steps. Taking two at a time, he reached the top of the steps.

Only to find the bed made perfectly.

_What the hell?_ Harvey thought, pulling out his phone again, calling Max again. Sure enough, the phone went to voicemail again. He sent her a text, hoping she'd respond soon. He called the front desk of his building, who said that Max had left earlier in the day. He thought that maybe she went back to her apartment, but the lone key to her apartment was sitting pretty in the key bowl. Harvey dialled another number, his agitation getting to him.

"_Ross_," Mike's voice was bored, and he clearly didn't check his caller I.D.

"Is that boredom I hear?"

Harvey heard a can drop.

"_No-_" Mike coughed into his sleeve, "_No, uh, I was just-_"

"Drinking enough Redbull to charge a battery, I got it," he said, rolling his eyes, "I'm just calling to ask if you've heard from Max."

The brunette was met with silence.

"Mike?"

"_She's not answering you either?_"

Harvey froze.

"You called her?"

"_Yea. So did Donna, and Rachel. Ezra got a hold of her for a few seconds._"

"And?"

Mike sighed, "_He said that she was busy, but okay._"

Harvey deflated, "That's it?"

He heard rustling on the other side of the line, "_Harvey, trust me, Max just needs a few hours to screw her head on right_."

The powerful lawyer pressed his lips into a hard line.

"She's been doing that often."

Mike chuckled.

"_Let me guess; she's dealing with her freak-outs on her own_?"

Harvey agreed, "Exactly. She'll either run off to the balcony in the middle of the night or go see her mom during the day."

He could hear Mike laughing.

"What's so funny, _Pretty Boy_?"

"_One, just admit that I'm prettier that you, and two, you're not the only one with a love phobia_."

Harvey's eyebrows rose.

"You've lost me."

Mike sighed, "_You have Philophobia, correct?_"

"Don't need to remind me," Harvey mumbled.

"_You have a fear of falling in love. Max, on the other hand has a fear of commitment._"

His heart fell.

"You better not be telling me that she doesn't want to be with me."

He could practically hear Mike rolling his eyes.

"_For someone as smart as you, you are a complete dumbass_," Harvey was going to cut him off, but Mike beat him to the punch, "_it doesn't take a genius to see that Max is in love with you, and she definitely wants to be with you for the rest of her life. But marriage to her is a big thing_."

"The thought of her parents divorce always did play a factor."

"_Exactly. It's not that she doesn't want to marry you Harvey._"

Harvey saw where this was going.

"She doesn't want to end up like her parents."

Mike clicked his tongue, "_And that's why she has Gamophobia_."

"What?" Harvey asked.

"_You know, fear of commitment, yada, yada, yada..._"

"I got it, thanks. Get back to work before I sell you to Louis."

"_Yeah, because you haven't done that before_."

Harvey hung up then, checking his watch quickly. He shouldn't go and look for Max know, because he knew he wouldn't be able to stop until he found her. Frustrated, he grabbed everything he needed, making his way out of the empty home.

_Where the hell is she?_

* * *

The sterile smell that filled Max's nostrils reminded her of hospitals. Oddly enough, she liked hospitals (with the exception of death a looming figure). She always saw them as a peaceful place to recover. As she made her way through the large hallway, she couldn't help but notice how ugly the carpet was, and how the paint could use a little TLC. She stopped in front of the room she was looking for, rapping her knuckles softly on the wood. After the muffled '_come in_' was heard, and she opened the door.

The woman on the other side was surprised. Happy, but surprised.

"Maxine?" The lovely woman said.

Max smiled.

"Hi Edith."

The relationship between Maxine Harris and Edith Ross was a very unique one. After Mike and Max became very close friends, Mike took the opportunity for Max to meet the great and all-powerful Edith Ross, who was oddly humble (and not-oddly lippy). From then, they hit it off, with Edith never having a granddaughter, and Max never having a grandmother. Their bond was strong from the beginning, and Max knew she could go to the older woman for everything. She fully did believe that the elderly were wise, and Mrs. Ross was fricken' Buddha.

"Why, dear, you look frazzled."

Max laughed, placing her purse on the small table, "Yeah, I've been thinking."

"Oh, good Lord," the white-haired woman said, placing her book softly on her lap as she laid in bed, "Maxine, I know for a fact that your mind is exactly like Michael's."

The brunette looked at the older woman.

"I'm not sure I follow."

The ageing woman smiled, "When you both think, you tend to over-think, and make a huge deal out of nothing."

"It's really scary how you know these things."

"Comes with age," she said proudly, folding her hands in her lap.

"Now, tell me why you're here. You're usually here with my grandson, so there must be a reason you came to see me."

Max nodded.

"Usually, I would go to Harvey for things like this. But he has a tendency to become very overprotective," a monotone laugh escaped her lips, "I feel like I can tell you because you are the least judgemental person I know."

"You _are _smart," the older woman said, "so, out with it. Tell me."

Max rubbed her hands together.

"I want to tell you about this... man."

Edith's eyebrows furrowed.

"Harvey?"

Max shook her head.

"No."

The brunette took a deep breath.

"A man named Evan. Evan James Wade."

* * *

**_Whoa, looks like it's getting serious!_**

**_Review?_**

**_xoxo N._**


	5. Him

_**Hey Everyone!**_

_**There are no excuses. School has been piling up. Work has left me with no social life, so I am just as shocked as you are that I even updated. But I have (thank God) and hopefully I'll be able to update next week, as half of the chapter is written already. I was going to include it, but I just wanted to get this chapter out for you guys, that I just couldn't hold it in much longer.**_

_**Well, onward with the story!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**P.S. Sadly, Suits is not mine.**_

* * *

Quentin Lowe sat idly on the witness stand, twiddling his thumbs underneath the large wooden wall in front of him as he held the clicker for his slide-show at the ready. The Lieutenant looked over at Cameron Dennis, the old District Attorney who was a joke to Quentin. He wasn't a real lawyer; just someone who got into law to manipulate the system any way they wished. Cameron Dennis wanted power. But Harvey Specter, he wanted to win. He was a lawyer because he was good at it. He was good at negotiating, and fighting for what he believed was right. Sure, he was a corporate lawyer, but he never screwed anyone over (unless they deserved it, which was the majority of the time).

Harvey, clad in a suit which was as much as one of Quentin's cars, began to walk to the centre of the courtroom. The judge, the Honourable Nicholas Heaves, watched Harvey as he paced the courtroom. Everyone in the room held their breath as Mr. Specter moved around the room. The spectators, as well as the camera crew. Every news station wanted to get all the juicy details on the case, as the public never really cared about what happened on that day. All they cared about was Max was taken hostage, and Harvey would have ripped apart the entire building to save her. Quentin bit his lip; of course, only the public cares about the romantic aspect of the situation. Not that Max got herself out of that situation all on her own, and she really didn't need Harvey's help. Speaking of Harvey, they all knew that he was furious with the man sitting beside his old mentor. People questioned the reason that Harvey didn't hand this case off to someone who could keep their emotions in check, such as someone as great as Jessica Pearson, but set against it. They knew if Harvey Specter was going to prosecute someone, he'd win, regardless of his conflict of interest.

"Lieutenant Lowe," Harvey said, his voice stripped from all emotion, "would you please summarize to the court the events that occurred on January eleventh of this year?"

Lowe nodded towards him, taking a deep breath.

"We received a call from dispatch stating that there was a hostage situation located in the building of Pearson Hardman at ten-sixteen a.m."

"Who was the caller?"

"Ezra Portwood."

Harvey hid his smile.

"For the court, can you explain what happened after you arrived?"

Quentin clicked the button on the remote towards the television, showing a screen shot of the clip, "We accessed the central security system, where we received footage of the hostage, as well as the suspect. The suspect had a gun pointed towards the hostage, and began to fire at her. From there, the hostage proceeded to..."

Lowe bit his lip.

"Lieutenant?" Harvey asked.

Quentin met his eyes.

"Sorry, Mister Specter. Just trying to gain my composure," he said, smiling a bit.

Harvey mirrored it.

"The hostage proceeded to throw a bookend at the suspect, causing him to charge at the hostage. Unfortunately for the suspect, the woman seen here then punched him twice, causing him to become incapacitated."

Everyone in the courtroom tried to hide their smiles.

"The hostage then ran to safety, barricaded in the washroom, where myself and the tactical team retrieved the hostage. A second tactical team went to retrieve Oliver Klades."

"Can you depict who is the victim, as well as the suspect."

"Yes," Lowe said, hesitant to continue. Mostly because he was afraid of Harvey.

He clicked the button again, and Max's key-card picture came up, "The victim is Maxine Harris, a junior partner at Pearson Hardman." Quentin clicked again, and the picture made Harvey twitch. "The suspect is Oliver Klades, a former client from Pearson Hardman."

"Can you confirm that this man," he pointed to the ragged man sitting beside Dennis, "is Oliver Klades, the suspect."

"Yes, I can confirm that," Quentin said.

Harvey stood there for a moment.

"You sure? Because I don't want you screwing around."

Quieted laughs filled the courtroom, and the judge pounded his gavel.

"Order in the courtroom, please," Heaves said.

The Lieutenant smiled, "I'm sure, Mister Specter."

"Thank you for your time," Harvey said, walking away, "Your Honour."

"Councillor," the judge said, turning towards Cameron, "Mister Dennis, your cross-examination?"

Dennis stood up, "Thank you, your Honour," he said as he buttoned up his top button of his suit (which wasn't as nice as Harvey's), and walking towards the witness stand.

"Lieutenant Lowe, could you please state your credentials."

His eyebrows furrowed.

_What the hell? _

"I manage the 25th precinct, as well as the head of the SWAT division."

"And your metals?" Cameron asked nonchalantly.

Quentin's face fell.

_Shit. _

He knew exactly what Cameron Dennis was aiming at.

"Exceptional Merit," Lowe said as he started to get uncomfortable, "and Commendation."

"Commendation?" The salt and pepper haired man asked, "What type?"

Harvey looked at the older man, wondering what the hell was going through his mind as he questioned the Lieutenant.

Quentin sighed, "Integrity."

That's all Cameron needed to light the match.

"Lieutenant, can you please tell the court what that metal entails?"

Quentin cleaned his throat as he shifted in his seat.

"Mister Lowe, we don't have all day," Cameron said, a sliver of a smile creeping on his face.

The man on the witness stand shook his head in anger. He was going to get this information one way or another. Quentin knew that he might as well tell him what he wanted. That way, he didn't look bad for Harvey.

"The Commendation Medal for Integrity is received when you meet a highly credible, or unusual accomplishment."

"But there is another way to get this medal, isn't there?"

He clenched his fist, "Yes."

Harvey, who was watching the two closely, knew that something was bothering Quentin, and he should step in. But Harvey had no idea what was going on, so how could he object?

"Mister Lowe, please tell the court the other reason."

The man tapped his fingers harshly on his knee before responding "Grave personal danger in the performance of duty."

The whole court held their breath, including Harvey.

Cameron walked back to his desk, retrieving a piece of paper.

"Which one of those reasons is it?" He asked, holding the paper to his chest.

Quentin swallowed.

"The latter."

Something clicked in Harvey's head before he knew what was happening. He knew why Quentin had that medal. It was something he could relate to.

Harvey shot out of his chair before he could even think, "Objection. Relevance to the case?"

"Just gives a back story to the witness, your honour," Cameron said, dismissing Harvey as if he were a child.

"Which has no reason for this case," Harvey said, turning to face the judge.

"Your Honour, this isn't a trial for Lieutenant Lowe's job history. There is no evidence that should bring up the Lieutenant's work ethic or experience."

Judge Heaves looked at Harvey quietly for a moment. "I would usually side with you, Mister Specter," he said slowly, "But we are looking at the Lieutenant's ability to do his job, and see if he has fulfilled his job regarding the Pearson Hardman hostage situation, in order for protocols to be met."

The judge put his hands together, "It would not be unheard of to look into the Lieutenant's past. Overruled."

Harvey sat down, making eye contact with Quentin. The officer looked at the lawyer, and Harvey knew that he was thanking him for at least trying.

"Mister Lowe, could you please tell the court why you received this medal?"

Lowe wrung his hands together, not wanting his emotions to rise to the surface.

"I had put my own life at risk to save a hostage."

Cameron nodded, "Yes, which is what you do in most hostage situations, Lieutenant. But what had made this different?"

"I got shot," Lowe said, "twice."

The courtroom stilled.

"And your hostage?"

Quentin bit his lip.

"Didn't make it."

Cameron nodded, "I'm sorry to hear that."

He flipped the page over in his hand, revealing the picture on the other side.

"Is this the hostage you were talking about?"

Harvey couldn't see this picture, but he could see Quentin's face. Pain scattered all over the Lieutenant's face. He looked as if he aged ten years within seconds. So much sorrow flew through the man who Harvey knew instantly where that look came from.

It was the look where a man remembered what he had lost, and knew he could never get it back.

"Yes," Quentin choked out, barely audible.

Cameron turned around, showing the courtroom the picture.

"Let the record show that the person in the photograph is Felicia Lowe."

Harvey glanced at the picture, wincing at the woman in the picture, who resembled Max so closely. Long brown hair. Big light brown eyes. Stunningly beautiful. Gorgeous smile. He could see just based from Quentin that this woman meant the world to him. She was his life-force his rock. So how did he survive without her? How could have Quentin survived without Felicia? Harvey could barely spend a day without knowing Max was alright, even if it meant a one-worded text. Harvey looked at Quentin. He was trying so hard to hold back the tears that were pooling in his eyes. It only made him hate Cameron even more for going for such a low blow.

"Felicia Lowe," Cameron said, not needing an answer, "Oddly enough she does resemble the victim here, Maxine Harris."

"I was doing my job," Quentin mumbled.

"Your job was to make sure that you had the suspect safe and secure. You even stated earlier that you went with the group that was to retrieve the hostage, and not my client."

"Your honour," Harvey stood up, "he's badgering the witness."

"I was doing my job," the Lieutenant said louder.

"Your job was to secure the situation, not try to redeem the death of your wife by saving someone else's future wife-"

"I was doing my job!" Quentin screamed.

"What was your job to you?" Cameron countered.

"Your Honour!" Harvey shouted.

"Councillor! That's enough," Judge Heaves yelled, bringing down his gavel hard repeatedly.

"The jury must disregard the defence's cross-examination. Lieutenant Lowe, you may step down." Lowe nodded, swivelling out of his chair as quickly as possible, making his way back into the audience.

The judge continued, "Now I don't know if you realize, Mister Dennis, that this is a trial, not an operation divulging into everyone's lives. I hope you take that into account next time."

Heaves looked around the room, "Court will resume at eleven a.m tomorrow."

The sound of the gavel made it final, as the entire courtroom got up to leave. Harvey collected all of his papers, not daring to look at Cameron, as well as Oliver Klades, and quickly walked to the outside of the courtroom. He scanned the crowd until he saw the retreating form of the Lieutenant.

"Quentin!" Harvey shouted, grabbing his attention. The officer turned and stopped, allowing the lawyer to catch up.

"I'm sorry. If I had known that Cameron would pull that shitty move I would have covered your ass."

Lowe waved it off, "It's alright. I should have seen it coming anyways."

Harvey rubbed his hand quietly for a moment, wondering how he should continue.

"If you're gonna ask me, Harvey, just do it."

"How did she..." He started asking, but quietly trailed off.

Quentin nodded, "Store robbery. A group of guys were holding up a Wal-Mart. She was one of thirteen."

The brunette nodded.

"I don't know how you do it," Harvey admitted.

Quentin snorted, "What? Survive without her?" Harvey nodded again.

"Because I know that if she was here to see me like this, she'd kick my ass."

Harvey chuckled along with Lowe, the two men laughing in the courtroom hallway, where it began to dwindle down.

Lowe sobered up, "Listen. I already know you love her."

"I thought I kept that a secret."

He began walking away, "Just don't be afraid to love her with everything you've got. Felicia died knowing that I loved her unconditionally, and it gives me comfort."

Harvey smiled, "Great bonding moment, Lowe."

Quentin mirrored his smile, "I thought so too, Specter."

He patted Harvey on the shoulder, "Good luck tomorrow."

Harvey watched his retreating form as he pulled out his cellphone. Quickly dialing a number he had begun to be accustom to, he settled the phone on his ear, waiting for someone to answer.

"_Julian Satin's office_," a dainty voice answered.

"Helen, it's Harvey."

"_He's not in now, Mister Specter_," she said, familiarity running through her voice, "_May I leave a message_?"

"Tell him to call me, give me an update on his people."

She sighed, "_If you're referring to the men following his daughter, I can give you their phone number for you to call them yourself_."

"Then tell him to give you a raise."

He could practically hear her smile.

"_I know the numbers on one of his Amex cards. Trust me, I don't need one_."

* * *

Retail therapy had never appealed to Maxine. While she did enjoy luxurious items from time to time, she really didn't feel the need to max out a credit card just on one day. She walked down SoHo, looking at all the items in the windows. She was nervous for the next day, where she'd have to testify. Max was never on the opposite side of the witness stand. She was always the shark in the water, never the bait. She glanced at more windows, not really seeing the item, but more specifically thinking about Harvey.

The more days that passed, the more she loved him. But oddly enough, the more days that did pass, the more she was afraid to marry him.

She stopped in front of one of the windows, pursing her lips. Harvey wanted to marry her, which at first made her feel alive. But as time passed, she realized that the Harris women track record wasn't really good when it came to marriage. Her great gran's husband was decapitated in a horrific wood chopping accident. Her grandmother's husband slept with half of the town. Her aunt's husband died in a freak boating accident, only to be found living on an island, evading tax collectors. Her mother's situation with her father was already familiar with Max, which didn't give her comfort. She knew she was different, but it didn't help that Harris women couldn't keep a man down.

What made her feel better was that _Harvey_ was different. Harris women were known to marry emotionally unavailable men. But Harvey was well aware of his philophobia and fought it everyday. The thought made her smile; he was different, and she was different, so maybe there a possibility that their marriage would be different.

Smiling, she turned around to continue walking down the street, when her eye caught a dark figure quickly moving back towards the shadows. She noticed the figure across the street, hiding behind an entrance way to a store. She stopped, watching it intently. The man was dressed oddly as she noticed he was adorned in completely black. Max wanted to see if the person would appear again. Sure enough, the figure slightly appeared from behind the wall, looking in her direction. Freaked out, she began walking quickly out of the area, until she noticed another figure just a few feet away from the first person who was looking in her direction, hiding behind a pole.

_That's two_, Max tallied, quickly scanning the large crown of people. Sure enough, number three was on her side of the street, behind a coffee cart. Max's fear rose.

_They're following me. _

She thought about it for a minute. This could be Cameron Dennis' work, keeping an eye on her before the trial. Although, people following her sounded like the collaborative work of Harvey Specter and Julian Satin.

She pulled out her phone, realizing that Harvey might still be in court, she dialed her father.

"_Satin,_" he answered in a bored tone.

"Dad?"

"_Max_?" Julian's voice changed drastically, "_what is it_?"

"There are three men following me," she said in a hushed tone, turning around and walking the other way, "And I don't feel comfortable right now."

Julian was hesitant to answer. "_Are you sure they're following you_?"

Max sighed, "I don't know, and I don't care right now. I'm not going to risk it and take that chance."

She ran a hand through her hair, walking faster than she usually did, "I'm just waiting for all this Oliver Klades drama to pass over, and then I'll calm down. This could be Cameron's work. Right now, I'm not taking any chances."

She heard her father sigh, "_What do you want me to do about it, Max_?"

"I just needed to tell someone," Max said, being evasive.

"_That's not how you work Max. You just don't tell people things. There's an ulterior motive._"

_You hit the nail on the head, Dad. _

"It could be Dennis. But it could also be someone who I know is trying to keep an eye on me."

_"And who could that be_?"

"I've already assumed Harvey's been watching me like a hawk, but I know someone who can have a team of people watching me within the hour."

Julian didn't speak.

"Dad," Max warned, "What's going on?"

_"You always assume the wors_t," he said softly.

"Because you and Harvey make a paper cut seem like a knife wound when it comes to me," she said bitterly.

"Are those your men? And why are you having me followed?" She asked sharply.

She heard Julian take a deep breath, "_I'll tell you tomorrow Max. Right now focus on the trial_."

"Dad-"

He cut her off, "_Yes, they're my men. Harvey suggested it_."

She bit her lip, "I swear I could skin that man."

"_I was the one who agreed to it_," he said, continuing, "_Don't be so hard on him. Like you said, Harvey makes a paper cut seem like a knife wound_."

She huffed, knowing her father was right. If there was a time to not get Harvey's blood pressure up for no reason, it would be getting angry at him for just trying to protect her.

"Please tell them to stop following me."

"_I'll let them know to stay hidden_."

She rolled her eyes.

"Bye Dad."

"_Bye sweetheart_."

She hung up the phone, turning around to face her three followers. She could do the mature thing and ignore them, but Max was feeling sixteen years old at the moment. She made eye contact with one of them before proceeding to flip the bird at him, grinning like a Cheshire cat, and sashaying away before her thoughts could turn sour.

* * *

"Wait, is that thirty?"

"No, that's twenty-two."

"Damn it!" Rachel said, throwing her playing cards at Mike. She could smack the look right off his face as he began to laugh at her trying to beat him at his own game. They sat comfortably in his home, both of them snuggled under the same blanket as they played a quick game of Double Rum.

"You know, I believe that you are manipulating the rules," she said bitterly.

"No, actually, I am just a God at this game."

"Really? So those three Queens underneath the blanket aren't yours."

"Uh, Objection. Badgering the witness."

She squinted at him, reaching over to flick his ear. Mike dodged it quickly, causing an all-out war to erupt from Rachel and himself. She chased him around the small apartment, careful not to hit anything except for the dark blond boy who was making funny faces at her. She threw pillows at him, trying to distract him. But the man was fast, and Rachel couldn't catch him, even in the small apartment. Mike, who was using the couch as a shield dividing the two of them, grabbed the cards as an offensive weapon, threatening to hit Rachel.

Rachel laughed at his failed attempt, looking at him sombrely.

"Mike," she said softly.

"Yes dear?" The playful edge was still in Mike's voice.

She looked at him.

"Why do you love me?"

Mike's playful mood vanished.

"You are... being... serious?"

She nodded, her focus on him as she sat on the back of the couch.

"I know you love me, but... why do you love me?"

Mike sat on his knees on the couch, facing Rachel. "You know, I don't know why I love you," He said honestly.

Rachel threw him a look.

"I'm serious. I don't know why, I just do."

"Okay then," she said sitting up, "try to explain why you do love me."

He rolled his eyes, which caused Rachel to laugh. "Well," he started, "I love the fact that you always want the right answer. And when you don't have it, you fight hard to find it."

He smiled at her, "Which reminds me of the perfectionist in you."

She lightly punched him before he continued.

"I love that you're a foodie. Not because you adore food, but just because you enjoy the little things, like new experiences, which makes you the adventurous one, and it makes me love you more."

He pulled a piece of hair behind her ear, "I love that you're still so beautiful on your worst day, and you don't try to hide that. I love that you know you're beautiful."

Rachel smiled at him, her eyes watering.

"But mostly, I love the fact that you love me, because I know I'm a hard guy to love."

She chuckled, grabbing Mike's face between her hands.

"I think you know why you love me," she said sweetly.

Mike smiled, "Well you would assume that, since I am a God."

She rolled her eyes before pulling away.

"A beautiful, shining moment, and then that mouth..."

* * *

"Max? You home?"

Harvey shrugged off his suit jacket, eager to snuggle into something comfortable and beside someone whom he finds comfort in. He'd practically hadn't heard from his fiancée all day, and he was sort of getting anxious. Lately Max had been flighty, which Harvey wasn't comfortable with one bit. She went to him if she had any problems. She went to him if she wasn't feeling safe. Lately she'd be finding comfort somewhere else, and that hurt Harvey. He only hoped that she was in the home, and not somewhere else. He missed her.

"Upstairs."

The sound of her sweet voice put him at ease. He climbed the stairs quickly, making his way to the top level to find the bed littered with paper. Along with the paper was Max sitting against the pillows in front of the headboard with a computer sitting on the nightstand, and a large binder in her lap. The sound of the pen scribbling along the page caught Harvey's attention, as he noticed Max's bold-framed glasses perched on her nose, which made Harvey smile.

Rarely did she not have her contacts in.

She slowly lifted her head up, smiling at him.

"How'd it go? Good?"

Harvey shrugged his shoulders, causing Max's smile to drop.

"What happened?"

Harvey placed his suitcase beside the vanity, walking towards his closet.

Max watched as he disappeared in the closet, only hearing his softened voice.

"Quentin was married."

Max put her pen down.

"Cameron brought up Felicia?"

Harvey's head popped out of the entrance of the closet.

"You knew?" He asked incredulously.

Max rolled her eyes, picking up the pen again.

"You do realize that we've become friends, Harvey."

Harvey rolled his eyes, going back into the closet.

"He questioned Quentin's ethics, making it seem like he was trying to redeem Felicia's death by saving you."

She frowned, "If there was anyone I wanted to punch in the face more-"

"I know," Harvey said, coming out in a plain tee and sleeping pants, ready to crash on the bed.

"Can we just not talk about the trial for five minutes?" He asked, moving the papers out of the way so that he can sit down on the bed.

Max nodded, "I couldn't agree with you more."

He leaned over, resting his head on her shoulder, watching what she was doing.

"Seating arrangements?" He asked, looking at all the names.

"I thought wedding preparations were a good distraction."

Hiding her anxiety, she grabbed the sheet containing Harvey's side of the seating arrangements.

She passed it to him, "See if we have to change anyone from your side of the family."

He took the paper, looking at all the names printed on the page. His eyes were looking it over quickly, looking for exactly what he wanted. His eyes came across it quickly; his immediate family's table, where he saw that there was only a '_Mrs. Specter_' and not a '_Mr. Specter_' written in. Harvey's eyebrows rose. He shouldn't be this surprised to know that Max knew his father was dead. Whoever was Harvey Specter's fiancée should be able to just know things.

It hit him then that his father wasn't going to be there to see his wedding.

He was never going to meet Max.

He was never going to see him happy.

Truly happy.

"No," he said, placing the paper down, "everything looks good."

She turned to him, noticing that Harvey's Adam's apple was bobbing. Max knew that was the sign that Harvey was trying to keep his emotions in. She turned her head, placing a kiss on his head. Harvey turned to face her, seeing that Max's comforting smile placed on her face. Whether or not she was afraid to marry him, he saw that she loved him, and cared about him more than she cared about herself. He kissed her cheek, lingering there. It was one of those unspoken moments they shared, where they were just there for each other. He inhaled her scent, the comforting smell of vanilla radiating from her with such force it made Harvey forget about the horrible day they were facing once they woke up.

He pulled away from her slowly.

"Thank you," he whispered.

She smiled, her nose scrunching in amusement.

"You're always welcome," she said to him sweetly.

He settled back on her shoulder, watching her write on the paper. It was methodical and hypnotizing to him. He watched as she wrote down the centrepiece designs, the flower arrangements, the bouquet He didn't want to think about the next day. He didn't want to think of how Cameron Dennis was going to try to destroy Max on the stand. He knew Max could handle the beating, but he didn't know if he could. He wasn't just going to stand there and let someone tear her apart. He would try to keep her safe as much as he can.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" He asked her.

She took a deep breath, "No."

"No?" He asked, still on her shoulder.

"I don't think I'll ever be ready," Max said plainly.

"Don't be scared, babe," he said, grabbing the pen to hold her hand.

She turned to Harvey, taking off her glasses.

"I'm not scared," she said honestly, "I'm nervous. Nervous if they'll believe me." Max took the binder, placing it on the floor. "But I'm not afraid that we'll lose, because we're winning this case," she said facing him, "I'm not afraid that he'll break me, because I'm much too strong for his bullshit."

He chuckled, letting her continue.

"And I know I would be afraid because you'll be there." She lightly punched him, "So no, I'm not scared."

"Just nervous, I know," he smiled.

He leaned in, kissing her longingly. She grasped on to both sides of his face, keeping him there longer. She loved the feel of his skin underneath hers. He always warmed her. She always felt secure near him. It was his overbearing presence that caused her to feel safe and at peace.

He pulled away, staring at her.

"Max."

"Yes babe?"She asked.

He licked his lips.

"Do you still want to marry me?"

Max's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would you think that?"

"That's not an answer," Harvey said plainly.

She dropped her hands, looking at Harvey while biting her bottom lip.

"Yes, of course. But I'm..." she started off, "a little..."

"Hesitant?" He finished.

She sighed.

"I want to marry you, Harvey. I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't. But..."

She looked away, trying to find the answer.

"But you don't want to end up like your parents," Harvey whispered.

Max looked at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she barely said.

"Don't apologize for something that's not your fault," he said, reaching up to wipe her tears.

"I understand, Max. I understand you completely. You're loving, yet you're afraid that it'll end badly. You want this relationship to be perfect."

He wiped more tears away.

"Face it; you're gamophobic."

She smiled at him, "You're clever."

His trademark smirk came across his face, "I learned that from someone amazing."

Harvey kissed her again before getting off the bed, "I'm gonna take a quick shower. Would you like to conserve water and join me?"

She smiled while shaking her head, "No. I just want to read over the case files for a bit."

He nodded, picking up his briefcase and placing it on the vanity, sifting through all the papers before giving her the file.

"You know I can't be showing this to you," he said as he was walking away.

She smiled, "Then take it up with my lawyer."

"Hilarious," Harvey shouted from the bathroom.

Max chuckled as she began reading over the case file. She heard the shower running as her eyes scanned over the page. Harvey's notes were scribbled on a random page, half of it chicken scratch, and half of it was something like doctor-level calligraphy. She noticed that he was very detailed, and didn't leave a lot out. Max sighed,_ poor Quentin_, she thought. He didn't deserve for his wife to die. She was grateful that he saved her, but he was doing his job, and Cameron thought he could use that to his advantage. She shook her head, closing the file. Her brain was running miles a minute, and she knew if she didn't sleep she would regret it.

She stood up, moving towards Harvey's briefcase to place the file back in its rightful spot. As she was placing it back in, the briefcase tipped over, sending a file flying out, along with its papers. Cursing herself, she slowly picked up each page. She wasn't looking, as it was rude to snoop. Harvey may almost be her husband, but it didn't give her a right to invade his privacy. As she was looking, several bold words on a sheet of paper stood out, unintentionally catching her attention.

'_Evan James Wade – Parole: GRANTED_'.

Max's eyebrows rose.

Her hands started to shake.

Bile started to rise in her throat.

_ No. Not him. He can't be out_.

"Not him," she whispered to no one.

* * *

**_Actually so excited right now. I can't wait for the story to unravel._**

**_Kudos to whoever caught the familiar scene from TAOP Ch. 8._**

**_Until the next post!_**

**_xoxo N._**

* * *

**_ON THE NEXT TPOG: Max is placed on the witness stand, Cameron Dennis pulls a fast one, and punches start flying._**


	6. Harris

_**Hey Everyone!**_

_**A week delayed, yes, but I did update!**_

_**Oddly enough, I love this chapter a lot. Possibly one of my favourites (I have no idea why though).**_

_**Hopefully this gives you your fill of TPOG!**_

_**Don't forget to Review!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**P.S. I do not own Suits**_

* * *

"Does the prosecution have a witness?"

Harvey stood, his jaw tight.

"We have your honour."

He took a deep breath.

"The prosecution calls Maxine Harris to the stand."

Harvey could feel the anger radiating off of her as her heels clicked off the marble. _More like slamming off_, Harvey thought, as her strides were powerful. Once she came into his line vision, all he wanted to do was shake her. Shake her because the woman was so _infuriating_. She chose today out of all days to be angry at him, and he hadn't even known why. Max reached the witness stand, where the bailiff held the Bible out in front of her. She placed her hand on the hardcover, raising her other hand.

"Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, under pains and penalties of perjury?"

"I do," her voice was confident and sharp, echoing off the walls as she moved to sit down on the witness stand. She crossed her legs, hands clasped together tightly as they rested on her lap. She looked at Harvey, dead in the eye as she waited for him to begin his questioning. Her lips were pursed in anger as her right eyebrow was raised, almost testing him.

Harvey held back his groan.

_God help me_

* * *

_Several hours before..._

* * *

Harvey cracked his eye open, being woken up by the sound of a phone vibrating against wood. Noticing that he was alone in the bed, he raised his head, searching for Max. Calming down as he heard the shower running, his arm stretched over the vacated pillow, grabbing onto the small device that was ringing. Noticing the screen flashed the name '_Mike Ross_', Harvey sighed before clicking to answering the phone.

"Michael," Harvey said, his voice tired and annoyed already.

"_Harvey? Where's Max?_"

"Shower," he said, sitting up, "You called because..."

"_Just checking up on her. I was going to call you, but I had to make sure she was okay_."

Now Harvey's interest peaked, "What's going on?"

"_Someone's been looking into Evan Wade._"

"When?"

"_Last night. Your judge friend called to let us know that the files were being accessed to._"

Harvey grabbed a pen and paper from the night stand.

"Do we know who?" He said as he wrote down all the information.

"_Didn't say. All we know is that at three a.m. Wade's file was accessed through the I.T. Department at Pearson Hardman_."

Harvey's pen scratched out quietly.

"Someone knows."

"_Any idea who?_"

Harvey thought about it. He hadn't told anyone, and up to his knowledge Mike hadn't told anyone. Surprisingly enough, Donna hadn't come up to him, asking him why there was a secret file that he kept locked up in his cabinet-

_When Donna doesn't ask questions, it's because she already knows_, he remembered quickly.

"I'll call you back," Harvey said, hanging up.

Harvey hadn't noticed that Max got out of the shower a while ago, or that the blow drier had stopped. Realizing that she was possibly doing her make-up, he swung out of the bed, making his way towards the bathroom. The door was cracked, and Harvey pushed the door open to see Max sitting at the vanity in the bathroom. He walked towards her, kissing the top of her head before sitting on the edge of the tub. He noticed she was on edge. Before he could say anything, she looked at him. What Harvey noticed in her eyes was anger, which was odd.

"You okay?" He asked, putting his hands together and having them between his legs.

She huffed in anger, picking up the blush brush.

"If I didn't love you so much I could wring your neck easily."

Harvey's eyes shot up.

_She's pissed at me?_

"That's a very comforting thought," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

She put the brush down, looking at him.

"How many times have you stuck your nose in my business?"

"Lost count," Harvey said defensively.

She held out her fingers, counting off each one as she said them, "Just the big ones? The Loubous, the Vespa, the matching suits, my _wedding_ dress," Max threw her hands in the air, "Plus the countless times you've known something about me _before_ I've told you it is unbelievable."

"Where are you going with this, Max?" Harvey said, rubbing his face. It was too early in the morning for her to be mad at him.

She bit her lip, shaking her head as she turned back to the mirror, fixing her hair.

"Nothing."

_Oh good Lord..._ Harvey mentally groaned_. S_omething was definitely wrong when Max was dropping the subject quickly.

"Max-"

"_Harvey_," she said, anger laced in her voice, "it's nothing."

He shrugged his shoulders as he got off the tub, walking out of the washroom, "If you want to be pissed at me for no reason, then go right ahead."

He stopped in his tracks.

_Shit_.

"No... reason?" she repeated slowly, "Yes, because I'm mad at you for no reason. Because I'm the one on edge lately, of _course_."

"Jesus Christ Maxine," he turned around to face her, "It's seven o'clock in the morning. It's too damn early. I'm half asleep. Be angry at me at a later time."

"Oh," she stood up, walking past him, "I will be."

Once she was out of his sight, he put his hands in a choking-like manor towards Max, unbeknownst to his future wife.

"You make it difficult to love you," he said walking past the closet.

"Good," she said sternly.

Once she saw that Harvey was out of her sight, she pursed her lips and shook her head. He always knew what she was thinking. _Always_. She wondered why the hell didn't he realize that she knew that he knew about Wade? It was the last secret she had; the last deep, dark secret that was still buried in the back of her closet, and he just _had_ to dig and snoop and be the all-knowing Harvey Specter. It was times like these that she hated this Harvey Specter: the one that needed to know everything, and didn't stop at nothing until he knew it all.

"Are you still going with me?" He asked, popping his head in the closet.

She put her hands on her hips.

"No, I'll get there on my own."

"You hate cabs," Harvey said as he shoved his hands in his pyjama pockets, "And I know you're wearing heels. There's no way you're walking."

Max smirked, going along the clothes in the closet, pulling out jeans and a shirt.

"I bought back the Vespa."

Max could feel the atmosphere change instantly the second the words came out of her mouth. Over the course of being with Harvey, Max learned that she could get away with a lot of things that wouldn't piss Harvey off at all. Spending late nights at her apartment with Mike and without Harvey didn't phase him at all. Hogging the covers wasn't something that Harvey would get flustered over. She could cut pockets in his favourite suit, and he'd just shrug his shoulders. But Max knew that Harvey would get extremely angry if she did one thing.

Driving around the dangerous streets of New York in a Vespa.

"You _what_?" He asked, disbelief in his tone. He approached her, watching her intently.

"Bought. My. Vespa," Max pulled the shirt over her head, fixing it as she looked at Harvey. That crazy, over-protective look was in his eyes, and for a second, she thought that Harvey would end up locking her up so she wasn't able to leave.

"You bought the death trap, _again_," Harvey said, anger radiating off of him.

"Of course," she said pulling on her jeans and zipping them up, "It's _my_ car that I purchased with _my_ money so that I could drive anywhere that _I _wish to go."

"That is not a car, that's a donorcycle waiting to happen."

"When have I crashed the Vespa, Harvey?" she said walking past him, "For God's sake, it doesn't even push past eighty."

"Some moron could not see you and just smack into you. Then what? You're not protected. It's metal on skin. I'm not taking that chance."

"I'm not going to get into an accident."

"No, you're not," Harvey walked in front of her, stopping her from grabbing her purse, "because you're not driving the Vespa."

"You think so?"

"Don't have to. Because I know that I won't let you go out driving that."

"Watch me, Harv," she spat out, walking around to grab her purse.

"Babe-"

"Don't _babe_ me right now," she turned to him, her finger pointing at him harshly, "I'm pissed at you. No, I'm _furious_ at you. I'm to the point where I can feel my blood pressure rising."

She harshly threw her purse on her shoulder, "I can accept the fact that you are the most over-protective person I know. I get that Harvey, I understand it," she shook her head, "but there comes a time where you just go overboard and it is just too much."

"Where is this coming from, Max? I thought we talked everything through."

She laughed without humour, "I thought so too Harvey."

He watched as she walked down the steps.

"What the hell as gotten into you? Did someone shit in your Wheaties this morning?"

She turned, looking up to face him.

"Actually, it was last night," she said ominously. Max continued walking, grabbing her jacket as she made her way out of the apartment.

"Max," he said, walking down the steps.

She walked to the door, opening it.

"Max!" He said walking towards her.

"See you at court, Harvey," she shouted towards him, shutting the door

He walked towards the door, opening it to see Max getting into the elevator. He shook his head, wondering what the hell happened when Max fell asleep last night and woke up that morning.

* * *

_Present time..._

* * *

"Miss Harris," Harvey spoke, looking over his paper.

"Mister Specter," she bit back at him.

He glanced up at her, giving her a look that she understood clearly.

'_Stop being such a hardass'._

She breathed deeply, folding her hands on her lap.

"Can you explain to the court why you believe the defendant attacked you?"

Before Cameron could object, Harvey slid in the "allegedly" right after.

Max tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Mister Klades and his daughter Karly had been going through a sexual harassment lawsuit for several months, and it must have put a strain on him."

"How did the case end?" Harvey asked, knowing full-well that the case ended with him breaking every dish in his home and telling Max he loved her for the first time.

"There was an unknown factor that Mister Klades' lawyer wasn't told of, which caused the case to be settled."

"How did Oliver take it?" Harvey asked, slowly pacing.

"Not well, I assumed," Max said sombrely.

"And do you feel that Oliver's lawyer did the best he could do?" Harvey said with a bit of cheek.

Max smirked.

"He's an ass."

_Max..._

The courtroom laughed, and Harvey bit his lip to prevent himself from smiling.

"But," she said a bit louder to cover the laughs, "He's an amazing lawyer. Before I even knew who his was, I knew his name. And that name was held with such a high calibre that I never second guessed his ability to do his job."

"So you're saying-"

"That it wasn't his lawyer's fault, regardless if that sounds biased or not," Max said sternly.

Harvey nodded towards Max, silently thanking her for keeping it civil.

"No further questions," the brunette lawyer said as he moved back towards his seat.

"Thank you, Mister Specter. Cross-examination?"

Max had chills running down her spine as Cameron stood up. He gave her an odd feeling every time she looked at him, like he was a grease ball that didn't know what moral or ethical meant. The older man stood up, fixing his suit as he began preparing to talk to Max.

"Miss Harris, can you recall what happened on that day?"

"Every second of it," she said confidently.

Cameron stood straighter, "You say that with such certainty."

"Because I am certain," Max's voice didn't waver when she told him this, "I can remember everything."

"Everything?" He questioned, leaning against the jury box.

Max shrugged, "It's one of the downfalls when you have a photographic memory."

"Do you?" Cameron asked, "How can you be sure of it-"

"Because when I tested my IQ in my senior year of high school it was 168, and I'm certain that I've gotten a lot smarter over the years," Max said with such force and wit that the jury stilled, sensing the anger coming from the woman on the witness stand.

Before Cameron could question her again, she cut him off.

"Mister Dennis, you've asked me a question, yet you've deviated from the task at hand to doubt my competency to perform on the witness stand. Now I don't know if it troubles you, but I'd like to answer your question, since I am sitting up here."

Harvey leaned onto the armrest of the chair, hiding his smile in his hand. No matter the situation, he would always be amazed at the fact that Max could be a cheeky son of a bitch when she wanted to.

"Councillor, she has a point," Judge Heaves said, growing impatient.

"Of course, Your Honour," he turned to Max, "Well, Miss Harris? Can you please tell the court of your experience on that day?"

Max nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I had just gotten off the phone with my fiancé," she said, automatically looking at Harvey, "when I heard the voice of Mister Klades in my office. As I was moving towards him, he…" she hesitated for a moment, "…pulled a gun out, directed towards me. When he was distracted, I pulled my phone out, and called Harvey, my fiancé, to let him hear the entire conversation. Oliver began telling me how he believed Harvey, his attorney, didn't do his job properly."

"Did he?" Cameron asked.

"Harvey ensures that he puts his all into his job. Anyone who thinks otherwise or even questions Harvey's ability is sorely mistaken."

Dennis had the decency to keep his mouth shut about that.

"As I was saying, I realized Mister Klades was in a fragile state, so I began to talk to him, trying to calm him down. When I realized he couldn't be calmed down, I knew I had to keep myself safe. I threw myself onto the floor just as Oliver pulled the trigger. From there, my mind went on auto pilot. I threw one of my bookends on my desk at him, punched him twice, grabbed my phone, and got the hell out of my office."

She stopped to take a breath, looking at Harvey again. He still saw the anger she had in her eyes, but also the need for comfort. He gave her a small smile; the same one he gave her when he bought her the Louboutins, the same one he gave her when he first called her 'babe', the same one he gave her when they were standing in the middle of her hallway on her birthday, where she finally knew she loved him. She loved that smile; the small, sweet, and meaningful smile he reserved for her, and only her.

It was all she needed.

"After texting Harvey my whereabouts, I ran for the washroom. As I locked myself in, I realized that Mister Klades had grazed me with a bullet," she subconsciously flexed her arm in response, "It was then when Lieutenant Lowe and his tactical team had come to retrieve me, and that's the basis of it."

There was silence in the courtroom as Cameron Dennis was preparing for what he had to say.

"Miss Harris," he finally said, "the part where Oliver shot at you the first time."

"Yes?" she asked.

"You dodged the bullet," he reiterated.

She nodded, "That's correct."

"How?"

Max's eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse me?"

"How did you dodge the bullet?"

"I'm not sure I follow," she said, genuinely curious as to where he was going.

Cameron began to approach her.

"How was it that you knew to drop to the ground?"

"He had a gun pointed at me;" she said defensively, "The smart thing to do was to have dropped to the ground."

"You sure? Because the time that it took you to drop to the ground and the time that my client fired his weapon is awfully close."

"It was a judgement call," she said crossing her arms, "A good one at that."

He took a step back.

"You knew there was a camera in your office, correct?"

"Standard Pearson Hardman protocol," she said dropping her arms.

"So you knew you were being filmed."

"Correct."

Dennis shrugged his shoulders, "I just find it hard to believe that you knew the exact moment when Mister Dennis would fire his gun so that you could drop to the ground to avoid the bullet, in the convenience of your office, where it is being filmed at all times-"

"_Excuse me?!_"

Max shot out of her chair, screeching in anger, "Are you assuming that I _planned_ all this?!"

Harvey stood faster that Max, "Your Honour! This is unethical!"

The courtroom was filled with gasps and whispers which eventually led to everyone commenting on the events that just occurred. Jessica took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. If not for her image, she needed to be calm for Harvey.

Judge Heaves pounded his gavel, "Miss Harris! Mister Specter! Sit down, both of you."

Max was seeing red as she slowly sat down. Harvey was a mirror image.

"Miss Harris, if you do not keep your emotions in check, I will hold you in contempt."

She desperately wanted to roll her eyes at the judge.

_Moron._

"Same goes for you, Mister Specter."

Harvey eventually did roll his eyes at the judge.

_Idiot_.

"Mister Dennis, you are walking a fine line. One more move like that, I will throw this case out."

"Understood, Your Honour."

Cameron wrung his hands together.

"Miss Harris, remember you are under oath."

_No shit_, she thought.

"Did you, or-"

"_No_," she said firmly.

"No...?" Cameron asked.

"No, I did not conspire to have myself get shot at," Max said, "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Because the thought would bring up memories of your mother?"

Max's heart thudded in her chest.

_He wouldn't_.

"Objection!" Harvey stood up before Cameron could go any further, "This is uncalled for."

Before the judge could pound on the gavel, and before the courtroom could erupt into chaos, and before Harvey could stop Cameron from hurting Max even more, she stood up.

"If you think that I would stoop so low for such a pointless reason, then you must not know me Mister Dennis," she shouted, pointing a finger at Cameron, "and you must not know that bringing up my _mother_, my sweet mother who was shot and killed in a lonely alley way, is an extreme misuse of information, and a low way to seek the answers that best fit your theory."

The camera men, reporters, and anyone who did not know Maxine Harris' back story sat in awe as she spoke of her confession. It didn't seem like Max was the type of person to carry around grief. Cameron saw that as well, and saw that maybe he was pushing a little too hard on Max. Because if she was anything like Harvey, he knew that if he pushed Maxine Harris, she would push him right back, and most likely off a cliff.

"No further questions, Your Honour," Cameron said, moving to sit.

"Miss Harris, you may step down."

Max shot out of her chair, not even accepting the offered help from the bailiff as she stormed out of the courtroom, her heels clicking defiantly as she pushed the large door, moving away from the events that had taken place.

Harvey looked at her retreating form for as long as he could before she disappeared, and hadn't really been listening to the judge speak. He wanted to go to Max, regardless if she was angry at him. All emotions aside, she needed him right now, and Harvey could feel it. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the judge to finish his speech. As soon as he heard the pound of the gavel, Harvey grabbed all of his notes, shoved them into his briefcase, handed it to Mike wordlessly, and began running out of the courtroom, trying to find her. He went down a bunch of hallways and corridors until he heard her heels click as she paced in a spot.

He followed the sound, turning his head around a corner to see her with her hands on her hips, pacing back and forth as she looked to the ground. Harvey never liked her in an all black suit. It didn't suit her personality. He moved slowly towards her, making small sounds with his shoes to let her know he was here. She stopped, looking towards Harvey with tears in her eyes, just beginning to fall down her face.

"Are you still pissed at me?" He asked, hands in his pockets.

She nodded, wiping her tears, "Yes."

He held his arms open towards her.

"Do you still want to hug me?"

She bit her lip as another tear fell from her eye.

Without further indication, she walked towards him, wrapping her arms around his torso as she rested her head on Harvey's shoulder. He held her tightly, giving her the comfort she wanted. She sighed deeply and sporadically, her emotions causing her chest to strain against itself.

"I'm going to punch him in the face," she mumbled against Harvey's shoulder.

He chuckled, pulling away from her so he could wipe her tears from her face.

"Scumbag lawyers tend to make you feel that way."

"A little too often," she said, looking directly at him.

Pulling his hands away from her face, she held onto both of them, looking at the palms facing her. She took a breath.

"I know about Wade," she told him, her eyes never leaving his hands.

She saw the hands still, and she clasped onto them. Max lifted her head to see Harvey's guilty look on his face.

"I understand the need to protect me Harvey," she smirked, "I know that's one of the most important things in your life. It's something I'm going to have to live with from now on."

She let go of his hands, "But you didn't tell me. You didn't tell me he was out."

"I did it-" Harvey began to say, but she held up her hand.

"Please, babe, just let me finish."

_At least she's using babe again_, he thought.

"That man... destroyed my life," she confessed, tucking a hair behind her ear, "To know that he was locked up, it made me feel safe. I know that sounds ridiculous but it did. Now, that he's free, that he's walking the same streets I'm on..."

She shook her head, "The thought could make me go insane."

"That's why I kept it from you," Harvey said, "I wanted to get him back into prison before you knew that he got out. I didn't want you to worry, or be scared."

She sighed, "I figured as much."

"Plus," he added, "Julian made it a lot more worse."

"_No_," she rebutted, "My dad _encouraged_ it more. When you two are on the same page it's like watching two evil masterminds stumbling upon a way to rule the world."

She sighed, "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I know, I should have. I swear, I should have," he repeated, smoothing down her hair, "I just didn't want to see you like this."

"Royally pissed off at you?" She asked.

"In pain," Harvey confessed.

_God damn you Specter_.

That moment caused Max to melt instantly. There was her shining knight in Armani, waiting to rescue her from any harm. She pulled him by his tie, bringing him down to her level to place a chaste and sweet kiss on his lips.

"Thank you, for always looking out for me," she told him softly.

"Thank _you_," he told her, "for changing me."

She smiled at him, "I am still really pissed."

Harvey shrugged, hooking an arm around Max's shoulders as he pulled her away from the empty corridor.

"I know," he whispered in her ear, before kissing her temple.

As they were walking away, Harvey bumped her with his hip.

"I'm still going to get rid of the Vespa."

"We'll talk about that when we go home."

* * *

It was a cold night, he noticed, as he walked along the docks. He missed how New York looked. How it shone brightly in the daytime, but more-so in the night. How it was always filled with noise, and was never quiet.

He missed this place.

He really did.

He looked at his scarred hands, the cause of the many fights he was in, defending himself almost every day. He was glad that he wasn't living that life anymore. He was glad that chapter of his life was just about to end. He was finally glad.

"Wade," another man called out to him.

Evan Wade turned around, noticing the sound of his friend.

"Come on, let's go have a beer."

The man shook his head, "I'll pass."

Wade began walking away, remembering the last time his judgement was impaired.

_Harris_, he thought.

* * *

_**The plot thickens...**_

_**What'll happen next?**_

_**Stay tuned! And remember...**_

_**Review!**_

_**xoxo N.**_


	7. Cookie Jar

**_Hey Everyone!_**

**_I know, I'm a horrible person who hasn't updated in a month and I know I should be wearing the scarlet letter "L" for liar for the rest of my life. I feel horrible for not updating, but life happens to get in the way. But fear not! I will not give up on this story, or Harvey and Max._**

**_I also feel horrible for updating on the day of the season finale. Why must we wait until the summer?!_**

**_Now this chapter might be one of my favourites, depending on how you all react to it. There is also a high possibility that the next chapter will be my favourite. You'll understand after you've read this chapter._**

**_I know it's difficult, but can you please leave a review after you've read the chapter? I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I don't hear feedback from you guys, and I want to make sure that everyone who reads this is enjoying it just as much as I enjoy writing it. I'm writing this story not only for me, but for everyone who has fallen in love with Maxine Penelope Harris, as well as fallen in love with the show 'Suits'. _**

**_So please, please, review. So I know that you are loving what I write._**

**_Enjoy!_**

**_P.S. Suits isn't mine (if it was, today wouldn't be the season finale...)_**

* * *

_Guilty._

It echoed off the walls so powerfully, Max hadn't realized what was said.

_Guilty_.

She remembered her mother's trial, how when she heard the exact words come out of the jury's mouth, her mind was serene. Like a undisturbed pond in the quiet outdoors. Her mind went blank, and she tuned out the world, finding silence in a loud room. She remembers zoning out, her face calm. She knew that this was the same feeling that she was feeling now. The feeling of being at peace. The feeling of laying something to rest. The feeling of closing the book after reading the last page; knowing the story, yet being done with it.

_Guilty_.

Like a key to unlock these feelings. That word changed her life.

_Guilty_.

Oliver Klades was found guilty.

And yet, she couldn't be like everyone else.

She couldn't be like Jessica, who was standing tall, chin out, shoulders back. She was firm and powerful again, after successfully winning another case. She couldn't be like Donna, or Rachel, who had hugged each other with happiness seeping out of them. She couldn't be like Mike, who was grinning from ear to ear, and the glee of winning the case was evident on his face.

Max tried, but she couldn't be like Harvey; overconfident, snide, and in control of the situation. She knew what Harvey was feeling though, the evidence was clear as he made his way to Cameron Dennis. She knew that Harvey was going to rub it in his face a little, but threaten him a lot. She knew he was going to be overprotective, but also ecstatic. He succeeded in protecting Max, defending her honour, and finding her justice.

So Max did what she felt was right.

Be at peace.

The tap on her shoulder pulled her away from her calm, undisturbed pond as she turned to face Jessica. Looking into the woman's eyes, her surroundings came back to her. No longer out in the quiet, serene woods, she was back in the chaotic hallway of the courtroom, with the sounds of the people asking questions, taking pictures, and all-around noise assaulting her ears.

"Maxine," Jessica Pearson said from behind her, and Max wondered why the Managing Partner always used her full name.

"Jessica," she said to her, her voice soothing.

"You _won_," the dark-skinned woman reaffirmed, "you got the justice you deserved. I think that deserves a smile."

The corner of Max's mouth lifted.

"Jessica, if you think that I'm not happy... you're wrong," she told her, honesty flowing out of her so easily.

"I feel so at ease. This nightmare is behind me. I can move on."

Jessica looked at the woman sitting in front of her. She didn't appear to be sad, yet the better half of Pearson Hardman found it odd that Maxine had just put away her captor for a lifetime, and yet she was sitting there silently.

"If that's how you feel about putting Oliver Klades away, I wonder how you'd react when you make Senior Partner."

Now _that_ pulled Max right out of her peaceful composure.

"Miss Pearson?" She said in disbelief.

Jessica laughed, "Keep working the way you are. I know one day you'll be great."

"But I'm great already," the brunette threw in there slyly.

The older woman smiled, "We'll see."

Jessica grabbed her purse, making her way gracefully out of the courtroom. Max sat there, looking out the window. Jessica wanted to make her Senior Partner. She knew that it would be years before she even saw the word 'Senior' on her door, but if Jessica was already thinking about that, who knows what she'd do to back up Maxine. Max felt another tap on her shoulder, and she turned around with a smile on her face.

Only to find her smile fall to a frown.

"Karly," she said, looking at the blond woman in front of her, "I-"

"How could you do this?" Karly Klades whispered to Max.

Max sighed, standing up, "Karly, it was-"

"I _trusted_ you," she said meekly, "I thought you were on my side."

"Karly," Max said sternly, but was cut off again.

"How could you do this to me? To my _father_? To my _family_?"

"_Karly_," Max said in a definite tone, ultimately silencing the woman in front of her.

"I understand where you're coming from. You love your father, and I can see that he has good in him," Max sighed, taking a moment for herself.

"But he broke the law. Not only did he do that, he hurt me. I still have to look at the scar everyday, and be reminded of what happened."

Max shifted closer to her, "And Harvey loves me so much that he would do anything to protect me, even if that includes putting away the man that hurt me."

"Bullshit," Karly said, now with conviction, "You guys are just out to get the little guy, like a scapegoat. This is a conflict of interest. I want to know how the hell the judge let Harvey take this case, even though my father was his _client_."

"He waved the conflict of interest," Max said softly.

"Oh, so it's just swept under the rug? Like my sexual harassment lawsuit?"

_Shit_.

Max shouldn't be dealing with this right now. Karly was too close to this, and it was getting too personal.

"Karly, you just need to rest, take a breather, relax, and hope-"

Max never finished her sentence, as she was cut off by Karly's hand smacking across her face.

"I am _not_ going to rest until my father's out."

With that, the blond woman walked away from Max, and out of the courthouse.

Rubbing her face absentmindedly, she grabbed her purse, walking away from where she'd just been hit. Looking around, people hadn't even notice the slap that Max received. She was also surprised that the reporters weren't swarming her. Speaking of reporters, Max scanned the marble atrium until her eyes spotted the wave of reporters outside on the courtroom steps, surrounding Harvey, asking him question after question.

Making her way into the ladies' washroom, she applied more make-up to tone down and hide the redness of her cheek, cleaned herself up, and walked out of the bathroom. She couldn't let Harvey know what had happened with Karly. She wouldn't let him find out.

She also wouldn't let this get to her. Today was a good day, and she was not going to be brought down. Max walked to the front doors, placing a smile on her face, thinking of Jessica's words. The older woman was right.

She did deserve to smile at that moment.

* * *

"Mister Specter! Do you feel proper justice was served?"

"Of course," Harvey said, his proud bravado radiating off of him. He stood in the crowd of reporters, enjoying his big public case for the first time in a long time. Harvey knew he would always be a corporate lawyer, but he did miss the occasional civil cases.

"If I didn't feel it was, then I wouldn't be a pretty good lawyer."

"How do you feel about going against your old mentor?" A reporter screamed from the back.

"I always feel good after kicking someone's ass," he replied with a coy smile. The reporters laughed along with him.

"Was it difficult to have your fiancée on the stand?" The journalist in front of him asked.

He shrugged, "We're both professionals. It wasn't hard at all."

"Yet we could sense some underlining tension," the same journalist asked, "perhaps... sexual?"

"I'll let you think that if it makes you sleep better at night," Harvey looked at him plainly.

"Do you think you would have put less in this case if it wasn't someone you cared about?" The reporter to his left asked him.

Harvey shook his head.

_These questions are getting ridiculous_.

"As my fiancée stated, I ensure that I put my all into my work. That, you can confirm."

"And what about her saying that you're an ass?" The nosy journalist in front of him asked again.

Harvey smiled, "You can also confirm that as well."

As the group laughed again, Harvey spotted his woman, his wonderful fiancée, sitting against Ray's car, her arms crossed, and a smile on her face. She looked amused. But what Harvey also saw was that she looked radiant, glowing, and more importantly, happy. That's all Harvey would live for after being with Max. Making sure that she was happy gave Harvey a sense of peace.

He focused back on the microphones in his face, waving them off.

"No further questions," he said to them, stepping away from the reporters. They parted, making room for him, yet they followed him as he walked towards his reason to exist. Max looked at him, one eyebrow raised, as she took him all in. Harvey Specter was in a good fucking mood, probably just as happy when she agreed to marry him. But this time, it was a confident happy. She knew he felt invincible. She knew he totally felt like Batman... or Bruce Wayne, she couldn't tell at that moment.

"The future Mrs. Specter!" He greeted her loudly, aware of the reporters right behind him.

She had her arms crossed, still smiling up at him with the one eyebrow raised.

"You're happy," she stated, watching as he came up to her.

"You have no idea," Harvey said, leaning down to kiss her fully. The clicks of the camera's went crazy, and the people around them hovered like scientists over an insect. Harvey pulled her closer, and Max found her hands gripping the lapels of his jacket.

She pulled away looking at him.

"You know I'm going to kick your ass for doing that."

Harvey leaned in for another quick peck.

"Jessica already will."

By some miracle, Harvey was able to get the door open, get Max and himself in, and shut the door without having any fingers being caught in the process. The flash of the cameras dulled a bit as Ray slowly pulled out of the parking spot, and onto the Manhattan road. Harvey turned to face Max, who was staring out the window. He saw all the worry lines had faded, the crease in her forehead disappeared, and she no longer carried a frown. Instead, she had a truly happy smile on her face, free from worry.

Harvey wanted her like this again; before Oliver Klades, before Evan Wade, before any other bullshit she had to go through. He wanted her to be happy again, no problems straining her. He was going to take advantage of this victory, because it was a _huge_ victory, and it should be celebrated. He was going to make sure that today was a day that Max remembered to be one of the happiest days of her life.

She turned to face him, with a confused look on her face.

"What?" She asked, the smile still on her face as she looked at him with laughter in her eyes.

He leaned over, his face right in front of hers.

"I love you," he said with confidence.

She had that look on her face that could melt the coldest of hearts. Those three words always changed her, because she knew that when Harvey Specter told her he loved her, he meant every word of it. She grabbed his face in both her hands, kissing him passionately on the lips.

"I love you too," she whispered sweetly.

He grabbed her hand, kissing the palm before placing it in his lap, his fingers still intertwined with hers.

"Ray," he addressed the driver finally, "did you pick up what I asked?"

The loyal driver met Harvey's eyes through the rear-view mirror, a smile placed on his face.

"Left it just where you wanted me to put it."

"Always on top, Ray. That's why you're the greatest," he said, looking over at Max again, who was eyeing him suspiciously.

"What are you planning, you diabolical man," she stated, looking at him with wonder.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

Without hesitation, she responded, "Without question."

"Okay then," Harvey said, squeezing her hand.

Max waited for a few moments, but he didn't respond.

"_Okay then_?" She asked, "That's all you have to say?"

He winked at her.

She rolled her eyes.

"I swear, one day Specter, I'm gonna figure you out."

"But you already have," he said with complete seriousness.

She smiled at him.

"Stop being cute. I'm trying to figure out your plan."

Harvey just smiled, looking ahead of him. Mike told him about that one night with Max, when they were both bored and had the day off. She thought that Harvey didn't know what happened, but he knew all the details. Hell, it was a day to relax, and Harvey wanted to relax with his woman. Plus, Mike told him how she was on that day, and he didn't believe it, and that disbelief is what caused him to come up with the plan to see if Mike was actually right.

They stopped at Harvey's condo, both of them thankful that there were no reporters lingering around the main floor. Both of them saying goodbye to Ray, the beautiful brunette grabbed onto Harvey's hand as they began walking into the building, and heading up the elevator. Once Harvey opened the door, they began walking into the bedroom, both of them shedding their clothes.

Max, stepping out in loose fitting jeans and a v-neck t-shirt, approached Harvey just as he was pulling his own shirt over his head.

"Spill it, Harvey. I want to know what you're planning."

He smiled at her while nodding, "Come with me."

She followed him into the kitchen, where he picked up the cookie jar from the opposite counter, placing it in front of her. She looked at him with confusion, staring at him and the cookie jar.

"Are you trying to say I'm fat," she said plainly.

He rolled his eyes, "Open it."

She huffed, pulling off the lid of the jar. The popping sound was familiar to Max, but what was odd was the lack of cookies in the cookie jar. Instead, she found something else. Something that was familiar to her, yet was something she wasn't accustomed to anymore. If she didn't know what it was by the look, she knew by the smell.

"Harvey," she said slowly, "Is this... _weed_?"

* * *

With her kitten heels clicking off of the marble, the fiery redhead Donna Paulsen sashayed her way into the office. She hated coming into the office after work, but she had to make sure the files were there for the next morning. She walked past the secretaries and the lingering lawyers on the 50th floor as she made her way towards her cubicle. Spotting it, she happily made her way towards her throne when her eyes caught on a strange figure.

The said figure was standing inside Harvey's office, yet it wasn't Harvey. Nor was it Julian Satin or Vincent Giovinazzo the Third. Hell, she was expecting Cameron Dennis.

But this figure was different from the rest, yet oddly familiar. Her brain wasn't working as fast as it should, as it was too busy being awesome, and didn't realize who was standing in Harvey's office, looking out into the late-night sky.

She approached the man cautiously, opening the door of Harvey's office.

"Can I help-" She began to say, but cut herself off when the figure turned around.

The man smiled bashfully and ruefully.

"Hello Donna. It's been a long time."

She stood there, frozen for a moment, before gaining her composure.

"Is Harvey around?" He asked.

She puffed out her chest, "Not with you milling around in his office."

"Ah, yes, there's that fire Harvey always talks about."

Donna crossed her arms.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing really," he said, making his way around the office, "just wanted to drop in on an old friend."

The man stopped in front of Harvey's desk, his eyes milling over the pictures. He stopped when he noticed that three of those pictures contained a certain brunette that was clearly important to Harvey.

"His girlfriend?" He asked.

The redhead smirked.

"Fiancée."

The man's eyebrows shot up.

"Harvey Specter getting married," he said picking up the first picture of Harvey and Max together, "I never thought I'd see the day."

"And you won't," she said, walking forward into the office, "Because if by some sheer dumb luck that Harvey forgives you, which will never happen, Max won't even want you near her wedding, after what Harvey's told her."

"Max? That's her?" His grin showed his teeth, "It's a unique name."

"For a unique person," Donna said with conviction.

She grabbed the photo from his hand, placing back on its rightful place on the desk.

"You need to leave, now."

The man shrugged his shoulders and buttoned up his suit jacket as he walked past Donna and out in the hallway.

"I guess some people change," he said just before leaving the office.

Donna turned to face the man as he headed down the hallway.

"Not you," she whispered to herself, vowing to herself that the man would never let him get into the mind of Harvey or Max, ever.

_Who am I kidding?_ She thought to herself. _If anyone can play mind games, it's Daniel Hardman._

* * *

**_Chapter 8's warming up..._**

**_So review if you want to read it!_**

**_xoxo N._**

* * *

**_ON THE NEXT TPOG: The firm is a tense war zone when Daniel Hardman makes his appearance after five years, Rachel has a revelation, and we find out what happened after Max opened up the cookie jar._**


	8. Harvine

_**Hey Everyone!**_

_**Look! It didn't take three months to update! Yay!**_

_**Anyways, I am in love with this chapter. It was so fun to write, and since I've put Max and Harvey through a lot, I thought I'd let the character have a little fun, no?**_

_**Plus, I made the chapter longer, just for you guys!**_

_**Thank you to all those who reviewed. It filled me up with such joy, that I just had to get this chapter out as soon as possible.**_

_**So, keep on reviewing!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**P.S. Suits does not belong to me.**_

* * *

"Harvey, is this... _weed_?"

Her fingers pulled out the bag containing the organic green plant as she looked at Harvey diligently. Harvey wanted to smoke weed with her? Was he crazy? Was he already high? She looked at the item in her hand over and over again. Not only was it weed, but it was a lot of weed, more than she had seen at one time. Max was familiar with the green stuff in her hand. Her years at NYU and Harvard consisted of having fun with Mary Jane, and while those were great years, she had put it behind her. She was older now, that life long gone. She had told Harvey this, which is why she didn't understand the situation she was in at that moment.

"Are you being serious right now?" She asked, holding it more firmly.

"Very serious," he said, resting his forearms on the counter.

She looked at the bag again.

"You bought weed. You seriously bought weed so that we could _smoke_ it?"

"Together, yes, is that so difficult?"

"What the hell has gotten into you?" She asked, placing the bag down, "I've never seen you okay with the idea of getting high. You practically beat Mike up after he smoked on his parent's anniversary."

"That was different. He was mourning," he said, grabbing the large bag, "This is a celebration."

She snatched the cannabis from his hands, "So you thought it was fine to buy a hundred dollars worth?"

"Actually it was three hundred," he said, smirking.

Her eyes widened.

"You bought thirty grams of weed?! Are you sick in the head?!"

"Max," Harvey said standing up, "I know about that time you smoked with Mike."

Her breath stilled.

"That... was a one time thing," she said defensively, "and I remember being pretty pissed at you."

"For surprising you with a car?"

"For surprising me in general."

"Besides the fact that it was a shitty reason to be mad at me, you did smoke with Mike, and he told me what happened."

Her eyes widened.

"Everything?"

Harvey tapped underneath her chin, "He does have a photographic memory."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"But why Harvey? I don't understand how you, of all people, are okay with doing this?"

"Because I want you to be happy," he told her as he grabbed onto her arms, "I want you to have a night where you are enjoying yourself, and not following the rules. Being a little rebellious, like I know you have in you," he saw her stance falter a bit, and he knew his words were working, "I want you to not have a care in the world, and just enjoy this moment. You've been through so much, and I just want a night where you are free."

Max shook her head, "But Oliver was put away today, and Wade is still-"

"Forget about Klades, babe," Harvey cut her off, "He's in _jail_. He has his justice. And Wade? Wade is scum, and I'm going to do everything in my power and more to put him back where he belongs."

His hand moved the hair from her face, "Forget about everything tonight, _please_."

He held the marijuana in his hands again, in front of her.

"I want to spend one night with my future wife smoking pot, because I want us to enjoy ourselves. You said you trust me, so trust me."

She huffed, staring at the bud in front of her.

"Come on, Max. Mike told me you are a mastermind when it comes to weed."

She couldn't help but smirk a bit.

"I... may happen to know a few _unique_ ways to... get high."

Harvey smiled; he got her.

"Show me," he said giving the bag to her.

Max took it, placing it on the counter as she walked around in the kitchen.

"Go into the fridge and get the two litre Pepsi bottle out."

Harvey did what she asked as Max pulled out aluminium foil. He set down the almost finished bottle beside her. Max took the bottle and emptied it out as she turned to Harvey.

"Do we have any disposable pens?" She asked as she washed out the bottle.

"Possibly," Harvey ransacked the stationary drawer, finding a Pearson Hardman pen that is given out to clients regularly. He handed it to her.

"Thank you," She said as she poked a hole in the bottom part of the bottle. Disassembling the pen, she took the outer tube of the pen, shoving it through the hole so the pen touched the bottom.

Harvey figured out instantly what she was doing.

"Are you making a bong?" He asked incredulously.

She smiled at him as she grabbed the aluminium foil, making it into a small funnel, "If Mike told you what I think he told you, then you wouldn't be this surprised."

"I'm marrying a pothead," he smiled to himself.

She shoved the pointy end of the funnel into the tube, "Ex-pothead. But I do have a set of skills in a certain field that are quite useful when the situation calls for it."

Putting water in the homemade bong, she placed it on the counter as she stood proudly of her accomplishment.

"That's... pretty ghetto, Max." Harvey couldn't help but laugh at her.

She shrugged, "It was college. I was too lazy to buy one."

"So we're just going to hit bong all night?" He asked her with a smile on his face.

Max shook her head.

"No," she said as she walked to the cupboard, looking at it for a minute before finding what she wanted.

"We're going to hit bong while making these," she said holding up a box.

Harvey glanced over the box quickly, his mouth watering instantly.

"Brownies. You're making brownies."

"Weed brownies actually," she said, coming to stand beside him, "We can try cookies later, but the brownies make it taste so much better."

"How the hell did you learn to make brownies?" Harvey asked, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, "All I did through college were joints."

She looked at him, rolling her eyes, "No wonder. You have no imagination."

"Hey, those were pretty amazing joints."

She nodded, "I'll give you that Harvey."

Max heated up the oven as she began mixing the contents of the brownies, as well as mixing the cannabis along with it. From the corner of her eye she saw Harvey lighting up the bong, taking a long drag with it. He exhaled after a moment, the bong still in his hand.

"Oh my God," Harvey said, astonished at the three-dollar water bottle bong in his hand, "This is pretty good."

"You think I'd make a shitty bong?" Max asked, grabbing a tray from the cupboard below.

"In all honesty, yes," he said, taking another hit.

She rolled her eyes before placing the mix onto the tray, making sure all of it was off the bowl. Licking the spoon, she asked for the bong.

Harvey shook his head, "You're getting this only if you let me lick the bowl."

She shrugged, "I'll just do a bucket."

He stopped mid-hit, looking at Max with a confused look.

"What's a bucket?"

"Oh Harvey, you have so much to learn."

* * *

"That's for you," Rachel announced as she stood in the middle of Mike's kitchen, sorting out the Chinese food. Two boxes of kung pao chicken, two boxes of spring rolls, one box of sweet and sour pork sat idly on the table as she passed one of the boxes of steamed vegetables to Mike, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table. With a small thanks, he opened the box, planning on enjoying his meal quickly, until Rachel placed a hand on his hand.

"Not yet," she said, sitting down and cracking open her chopsticks.

Mike looked at her oddly.

"Am I supposed to wait until you pull out the fine china?"

"No, just..." Rachel sighed, "I guess you can start."

With one eyebrow raised, Mike grabbed a piece of steamed broccoli.

"No, no," she said before the piece of food could get into his mouth, "Let me tell you first."

Mike huffed, "Alright, what's going on?"

The caramel-skinned woman bit the inside of her lip.

"Maybe we should wait until after dinner."

"_Rachel_," Mike said, dropping the box and crossing his arms, "You have my attention. Tell me what's on your mind."

She sighed, picking at the box of kung pao chicken.

"This is... kind of embarrassing," she blushed.

Mike smirked, "I think we're passed being shy, Rach. Come on, you know you can tell me what's on your mind."

She looked at him, a smile creeping on her face.

"I took the LSATs," she said to him, her eyes not leaving his face.

Mike's eyes popped out of his head, "When?"

"A while ago," she said, turning around to grab the paper from her purse that was hanging off the back of the chair. She unfolded the paper, showing it to him.

"I got a one-seventy-two," she showed him proudly.

Mike's smile grew wider as he grabbed the piece of paper.

"Rachel, this is amazing. Congratulations."

"Thanks," she pushed a piece of hair out of her face.

He paused for a moment, his thoughts collecting.

"Wait, how is this embarrassing?"

Rachel shook her head, "Not that. I'm proud of my score," she said as she shifted in her seat, "I just had to ask you something because of my score."

"Anything you want, a fancy celebratory dinner with items on the menu that even I can't comprehend."

She laughed, "No, not that. It's just... I want to go to Harvard..."

"And?" He drawled out.

She took a deep breath.

"And... I've never been."

Mike's eyes popped out of his head.

"You're never been to Harvard?"

"No, that's why it's embarrassing, considering my father went."

Mike rested his arms on the table, his hands clasped together, "So what is it that you need to ask?"

She leaned over, reaching out to grab his hand, which he gave.

"I want you to come with me, so you can show me the campus."

Mike froze, but Rachel continued.

"I want to go to Harvard with someone who had been there," she said, her eyes looking out the window, "I want you to show me all your favourite spots, where you used to hang out, your favourite lecture hall, your favourite professor... I want you to show me everything," Rachel said, not looking at Mike.

He was able mask his emotions that were building up inside of him.

"I... would love to go with you," he said, stripping out the anxiety in his voice.

"But hopefully Harvey's open to the idea," he added, pulling away from Rachel's hand as he grabbed the kung pao chicken in front of him that looked more appetizing than continuing the conversation.

"Well, even if Harvey doesn't agree, you can always convince Max to persuade him," Rachel said, picking up her own food.

Mike nodded, "There's that."

Although he kept his composure, the blond's mind was erratic. Rachel didn't know that Mike never went to Harvard, let alone any law school. The only people who knew were Harvey, Donna, and Jessica. Trevor and Jenny as well, but Mike didn't really count them. Rachel was one of the most important people in his life, and he knew he should have told her sooner about his secret. But time flew by, and his feelings for her grew stronger, and he somehow forgot to mention that he didn't have a JD. How the hell was he going to tell her? What was worse, if Mike ended up telling her, he couldn't let Harvey find out that he did. It would destroy the trust between the two men.

He froze when another thought passed through his mind.

_Max doesn't know either. _

_And when she finds out that not only did I lie to her, but Harvey did as well..._

The kung pao chicken didn't look so appetizing after all.

* * *

"How are these doughnuts so _good_?!"

"Because they were hand-crafted by little fairies."

The two individuals occupying Harvey Specter's home sat on the couches in front of the television. Bags of chips, pretzels, crackers, and popcorn laid around the table as the tray of brownies, which was three quarters of the way done, sat in the middle of the coffee table. The small powdered doughnuts sat to the left of the tray while bottles of Gatorade sat to the right of the tray. The owner of the house, Harvey Specter, sat on the couch with his feet propped up on the table, while his significant other, Maxine Harris, was in the kitchen, trying to hold six bottles of beer at one time. Thinking over the situation for a few moments, she took only one, placing the rest back into the fridge. Walking over to the living room, she opened up one bottle as she moved to lay on the couch, her head using Harvey's lap as a pillow.

"They're like clouds of sugary delight," Harvey said, eating another one.

"Pop one of those bad boys in here," Max said, pointing to her mouth as she was clamping her teeth together.

He grabbed another one, placing it into her mouth. Her eyes widened as her taste buds were heightened.

"How are these so _good?!_"

"I know!"

"Holy shit," Max said, her voice muffled, "I don't think I can eat anything else."

"Would you like another brownie?" He asked, completely disregarding Max's statement.

"Yes, I would like another brownie," she responded, completely disregarding her own statement.

As Max chewed the brownie, her eyes closed, enjoying the delicious taste of the brownie, as well as the taste of the marijuana within the brownie. Suddenly, she felt a pair of lips on her forehead. She opened one eye to see Harvey hovering over her. Smiling up at him, she lifted her head, meeting her lips with his.

"I take it back," Harvey said as he pulled away from the kiss, "You're the most delicious thing in this room."

Max giggled, reaching up to wipe a smudge of chocolate off the corner of his mouth.

"Is it weird that sometimes when I eat I forget to breathe?" She said nonchalantly.

Harvey's eyes bugged out of his head.

"I thought I was the only one."

"Same!" She exclaimed, reaching over to grab the pretzels on the table.

Harvey's eyes looked over the table, spotting Max's beer.

"Please tell me you have more," he said, pointing to the bottle.

Max looked to where he was pointing, and nodded.

"Yeah, I put the fridge in the beer."

Harvey stopped for a moment before bursting into laughter as he gently moved Max's head off his lap to get the beer from the fridge.

"Why are you- oh shit," Max said, catching onto her mistake as she laughed along with him.

She rubbed a hand over her face, "Holy crap, I'm so high I feel like my brain is doing the worm."

"Ah, you're fine," Harvey said, coming back to his position, placing Max's head in his lap again.

"If anything goes wrong-"

"You're right here," she said, smiling up at him.

Mirroring her smile, he took another swig of his beer.

"Question," he said, placing it on the table.

"Would you like an answer?" She asked as she continued eating the pretzels.

"Well, I have two questions, so I'd need two different answers."

"Give me the first question."

Harvey nodded, "Well you never answered my question earlier, so I was wondering why."

Max looked up at him confused.

"Wait, is the first question the one you asked me earlier or is the first question _why_ I didn't answer your question earlier?"

"Jesus Christ Max, I'm too high to comprehend what you just said."

"Okay, okay, okay. I'm thinking that your question is how they hell I knew to make weed brownies."

Harvey thought about it for a moment.

"Yes, that's my first question."

"Well, it's simple," she said, biting a piece of the pretzel, "My mom taught me."

His eyes widened.

"Your _mom_ taught you how to make weed brownies?"

"Yeah," Max said, smiling as she nodded, "Actually it was my first time."

"Your mom got high with you," Harvey said as he thought about it, "I don't know if I should be worried that her parenting skills were lacking or that she is the most awesome parent ever."

"The second one," she confirmed, "the only reason my mom did it with me was because she wanted my first time not to be so scary, and she made sure I was with someone I trusted. I guess it was a good thing, because she knew that I would eventually do it, so she at least let me experience it in a safe way. So the next time I did it, whether or not my mom was there, I knew what I was getting myself into."

"Jojo Harris was a bad-ass," Harvey said to himself, fully impressed that Harris women were amazing human beings.

"Yup," Max said, chewing on another pretzel.

Thoughts of her mom and parenting got her to thinking of Harvey's parents, more specifically his father. She avoided the subject at all cost, but she felt that this was the perfect time to bring it up. Then again, Max had consumed large quantities of cannabis, so anything was apparently a good idea.

"Harv," she said.

"Yes babe?" He responded with a smile, hearing his nickname made him giddy.

She looked up at him, her doe eyes shining through.

"Is it okay if you tell me about your dad?"

The question caught him off guard.

"Why do you want to know?" He asked, genuinely curious.

She shrugged, "You never talk about him. I know that he's gone," she said softly, making sure her voice wasn't harsh as to hurt hum, "Did you have a good relationship with him?"

Harvey sighed, looking at the saxophone sitting in the corner of the room.

"Yeah," he finally said after a while, "We had a good relationship. A great one actually."

Max sat up slowly, turning to face Harvey as she sat on the couch.

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"He was a saxophone player, probably one of the best. But I'm biased," he said with a shrug, "He married my mom, 'cause... well, my mom was beautiful, but she wasn't exactly..."

He stopped, breathing deeply.

"Faithful?" Max asked, filling in the blanks.

He nodded.

"I caught her cheating on him," Harvey said, looking up to meet Max's eyes, "And I kept my mouth shut for two years."

Max's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?"

He bit his lip.

"I couldn't bring that pain upon him," he whispered.

Max knew exactly what he was talking about. Both of them were in tune with each other so much that things needn't to be explained in depth. Max tucked herself underneath Harvey's arm as she rested her head on his shoulder. Harvey's grip on her tightened, hugging her as he rubbed her arm.

"He's been gone five years, right?"

She felt Harvey nod.

"Six in a few months. Heart attack," he said plainly.

"I know," Max said, sighing.

He pulled away slightly to look at her.

"How?" He asked, his eyebrows raising.

She smiled, remembering the day at the cemetery, or more specifically, the friend she met at the cemetery.

"Collin Addis Mcmcmullian," she said with a smile on her face.

"Mick-mick-_what_?" Harvey asked, confusion written all over his face.

She laughed, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

"Another story for another time," she said sweetly, a smile still on her face.

Harvey, still confused, only nodded.

Max gasped suddenly, smacking Harvey lightly.

"Wait! Didn't you have two questions?"

Harvey's eyes gleamed.

"I forgot about that."

"You still want to ask me?" Max asked, tucking her legs underneath her.

"Yep," Harvey said, grabbing his beer again, taking another sip.

"If you're blind, can you hallucinate?"

Max opened her mouth to answer, when she stopped herself.

"Fuck," she said in disbelief.

She couldn't answer the question.

"_Fuck_," she repeated again, trying to figure out the answer.

Harvey stared at her, practically seeing her brain work harder than it ever had before.

"I think I broke your brain."

"I think you did."

"I can fix this... What's sixty eight times thirteen minus forty-two?"

"You're too high to know the answer."

"...Don't judge me."

* * *

...

* * *

He knew he was being avoided.

Typical. He should be used to this by now.

But Daniel Hardman took the avoidance of all people as a sign that they were scared. He was known for being a mean hardass, and that he didn't mind. Just as long as everyone didn't approach him, he would remain silent, yet deceptively friendly. He manoeuvred around the cubicles on the 46th floor, taking the elevator to the 49th to visit everyone. Some gasped while others didn't even notice him. He smiled; the firm was just the same.

Taking the elevator again, he made his was to the 50th floor, where the Managing Partner, Jessica Pearson, was dutifully working, and completely unaware that the old Managing Partner was in the building. Taking a wild guess, he made his way towards his old office, hoping to find Jessica there. He was right, as he watched Jessica focus on the papers in front of her, completely oblivious to the man who was eyeing her. He approached the door, giving it a swift knocking.

Jessica's plain face turned into a hesitant one as she looked at the man in front of her.

"Daniel."

He smiled. The tone could have implicated that she wanted to smack him across the face.

"Jessica," he said sweetly.

"I thought we had an agreement," she said, folding her hands on the table as the pen was still between her fingers.

Daniel nodded, "We did, but I'm not coming back."

"No?" She said, analyzing him like the chess player she was, "Then what are you here for? Clearly you weren't invited."

"I'm just here visiting the firm, Jessica," he smiled at her, "No need to be worried."

"So you've come to say hello?" The powerful woman said as she leaned back into her seat.

He nodded, "I don't harbour any ill feelings towards you."

"And Harvey?" Jessica said with an eyebrow raised.

Daniel grinned, "Him too."

The woman took a deep breath.

_No need to rush him now. If he's got a plan, let him play it out_.

"Alright Daniel, I'll take your word for it. Just as long as you have no plans to come back."

"Oh no, I don't," the man said, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked around the office, "Retired life is quite comfortable."

He turned his head around the room once more, taking it in.

"My, how times have changed."

Jessica nodded, "Yes they have."

He snapped his eyes back to the dark-skinned woman sitting at the desk.

"Speaking of change... Harvey."

Jessica smirked, "Who would have thought?"

"Not only has he has a monogamous relationship, but one that's lasted this long," Daniel said, touching the tea tray, "And he's getting married I hear."

"You heard right."

"I should meet her. The woman who was able to tie Harvey down."

Jessica's face drained of colour.

Her and Maxine Harris had a unique relationship. At first, Jessica was the stern boss who eyed Max constantly, as she was a transfer from a competing firm. She was skeptical at first, and her theory was enforced even more when she found out that Max and Harvey were seeing each other. It had taken all the restraint Jessica had not to fire Max on the spot. But when she confronted Harvey about it, she had turned her thoughts about Max. Harvey defended her like no other woman he had been with. Harvey cared about her, and Jessica cared about Harvey, so she went easy on the girl.

But then Max Harris started to show the office that she wasn't just dating a Senior Partner for shits. She was getting work done faster than any Sophomore Associate. She was so good that she surpassed the majority of people in the office. She was better than any of the others, as Max was a Senior Associate at Jackson Fortworth. Jessica was taking a huge risk when promoting her to Junior Partner, but Max proved herself worthy of the spot when she was bringing in clients from left and right.

She would deny it, but Max grew on Jessica quickly. She was like Harvey, in the sense that he was powerful. But Max was a completely different person. She was kind, and caring, and so full of light. She was witty, and clever, and she could outshine any person in the room. But what Jessica appreciated the most was that she chose _not_ to outshine anyone, because that's just who she was. Maxine Harris had all this power, but chose not to abuse it.

So there was no way in God's name that Daniel Hardman was going to meet the amazing human being that was Maxine Harris.

"Hopefully you don't have the privilege to, Daniel."

Hardman looked at her, cocking his eye curiously.

"Why? I can't put a personality to the face that's plastered all of the front page?"

Now _that_ got Jessica's attention.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked him.

Daniel went into his briefcase, pulling out a large stack of paper.

"Haven't you looked at the news?" He said, placing the newspaper on top of all of Jessica's work.

She picked up the stack, looking at the front page title, as well as the large photo on the front.

Jessica's eyes squinted at the picture.

_Harvey..._

* * *

Ezra was bored, browsing around Wikipedia when he heard the footsteps of Rachel Zane. The redhead looked up to see the caramel-skinned woman coming towards him at the end of the hall. Making eye contact with him, she gave him a curt nod, which he reciprocated. Rachel, who was heading to Max's office, walked past Ezra and directly through the glass door, shutting it firmly behind her. Max, who was typing at her computer, looked up at Rachel. The other woman was standing there, deciding whether or not to continue.

"You having a stroke?" Max said, not moving a muscle.

Rachel sighed.

"I want to go to Harvard."

Max's head shot back.

"Holy shit, really?"

The dark-skinned woman nodded as she sat down across from Max.

"Yes. _Hell _yes. I... want to go to Harvard."

Max mirrored Rachel's smile.

"Don't you have to take the LSATs-"

"I got a one-seventy-two," Rachel cut Max off, her grin widening even more.

"Wh-_what?_"

"I got a one-seventy-two," she repeated.

Quicker than she expected, Max got out of her chair and around her desk, pulling Rachel up and hugging her.

"Rachel, that's amazing!" The hazel-eyed beauty cooed over as she clung to her good friend, "Congratulations."

"Thanks Max," she said, pulling away.

"Oh my God, a one-seventy-two? That's pretty awesome," Max said as she leaned against her desk.

"What did you get?" Rachel asked her.

Max just gave her a look, which Rachel understood quickly.

"You got a one-eighty, didn't you?"

The other woman shrugged her shoulders, "It happens."

Rachel shook her head, "Regardless, I'm going to law school."

"No," Max amended, "You're going to _Harvard_."

The younger woman's grin grew.

_Holy shit_, Rachel thought.

"I'm going to Harvard!" Rachel squealed, hugging Max again, as the two woman became young teenage girls again as they jumped for joy, both screeching like prepubescent girls.

When they both relaxed, Max stopped for a moment.

"Are you going to see the campus soon?"

Rachel nodded, "Mike's gonna take me... that's if Harvey lets him."

Max smirked, "Well, if you need Harvey's permission, I can get it."

The other woman's eyebrows rose, "You do have that power over him."

"That I do," Max said, walking out of her office as she made her way to the other side of the 50th floor, persistent in doing anything to get Rachel to Harvard. She managed to avoid Louis, who had been oddly watching her as of late. When she saw Harvey's office, Donna was just walking out, with a powerful smirk on her face. She caught Max's attention, waving at her just as Max was waving back. The brunette walked past Donna and straight into the office, but not before noticing Donna turning off the intercom.

Max shut the door behind her, and Harvey looked up, a smile creeping on his face.

"Let Mike take Rachel to the Harvard campus."

Harvey's eyebrows furrowed, slightly diminishing the smile.

"That's not a typical greeting."

Max smirked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Rachel took the LSATs."

"What she get?" Harvey said, going back to his computer.

"One-seventy-two."

"_What?_" His eyes met hers in disbelief.

"Mmmhmm," Max said walking around the office, "I do recall someone I know getting a one-seventy-two as well."

"That was the first time I took it. Doesn't count."

Max rolled her eyes, "Fine, Mister 'One-seventy-six'."

"Damn straight. Going back to the subject..." He waved his finger around, asking her to continue.

"Rachel wants to go to Harvard, she's never seen the campus. So, she wants Mike to show her around."

Harvey's typing stuttered a bit as he lost his place.

_Shit_.

He was walking a fine line at the moment. If he said no, the secret of Mike not really being a lawyer could live on longer. But Max would be angry at him, and possibly Rachel would as well. If he said yes, Max would be happy, and so would Rachel. But the threat of being exposed if he said yes was too great. So, Harvey Specter said what he usually said.

"I'll think about it."

Max rolled her eyes.

"You look fantastic," Harvey commented, trying to move away from the subject as Max wore one of her flashier suits, a creme suit and skirt combo with a vibrant red shirt that matched her shoes.

Max was feeling fantastic, "Why thank you, Mister Specter."

They both shared a warm and knowing smile as Max sat down in front of his desk.

"Last night was-"

"Life changing?"

"I was going to say trippy, but that works too."

Harvey chuckled, "I liked that side of you."

"The free side," she knew what he meant.

"Although the way I had to get to that side is a little questionable."

"Well now we don't have to go down that path for me to come out of my shell."

Harvey shrugged, "We could try again."

Max looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"We are not buying anymore."

Harvey snorted, "We still have some."

Her eyes shot out.

"_Still_?!"

"It's a pretty big cookie jar," Harvey said, hiding his smirk behind his hand.

"For Christ's sake-"

"That's exactly what I was thinking," a voice behind Max said.

Harvey's head snapped towards the door as Max turned around to see who had entered on their private conversation. It was no one other than Jessica Pearson, who was looking royally pissed off as she clutched a newspaper in her hand. Jessica was seeing red as she walked up to Harvey's desk, practically throwing the paper onto his lap. Harvey took one look at the front page, and knew that he was in a huge, steaming pile of shit.

"I said, Harvey, _I said_, keep the relationship away from work, regardless if it's in the building or not. One thing I ask of you, and you can't even do it!"

Harvey silently gave Max the paper. As the woman took it, she looked at the front page. On it was a picture of her and Harvey, standing beside the car. From the torso up, the picture focused on the two, as the paparazzi was blurred in the background. The photographer took a perfect shot; it was Harvey Specter publicly confirming the relationship he had with Maxine Harris, by sealing it with a kiss.

The headline stated in big bold letters: _**Harvine; it's confirmed!**_

"They named us?" Max said incredulously, ignoring the fight between mentor and student.

"Jessica," Harvey said, ignoring Max for the moment, "the case was closed, we won. We weren't in court, or dealing with a case. We were outside. Why should I be penalized for kissing my fiancée?"

"For the love of God Harvey, you knew!" She said as she was standing behind Max, "You knew very well that all the paparazzi was there and you _gloated_, just like you always do."

She walked around the desk, continuing her rant, "You knew that the paparazzi would eat it up. You were riding a high, Harvey. High off of winning, high off the attention, high off of the case."

_Actually I was high on weed_, Harvey mentally added, but dared not to say anything.

She stood in front of him, forcing him to push his chair to the right.

"Next time I see this _bullshit_ plastered all over the papers, I will hold you personally responsible, regardless if it's your fault or not."

Jessica turned to Max, who was quietly watching.

"I know how you are Maxine," Jessica said, her tone firm but calmer, "You don't like the paparazzi one bit. But this warning is also towards you. There are two people in a relationship."

"Except bigamy, that's where the line blurs," Harvey pipped in, a small smile on his face.

Jessica's jaw clenched.

"Harvey. Don't. Fuck. Up."

Max's mouth dropped as Jessica turned and stormed out of the office. Max's jaw was reaching her chest as she looked towards Harvey, whose mouth was slack.

"She said fuck," Harvey said softly.

"I didn't even know she knew that word," Max said, pulling her chin back where it belongs.

"Must mean she's really pissed," Harvey said as he grabbed the paper from her.

"Oh shit, I didn't notice," Max said sarcastically as she walked around beside Harvey, leaning against his side as she rested her arm against the top of the chair.

"Harvine... what's that?" Harvey looked up at Max, who shook her head.

"It's Maxine and Harvey mixed together. Like Brangelina."

He looked at her for a moment.

"We're Brangelina," his smirk grew wider.

Max rolled her eyes, "For the love of all that is holy, we're not '_Brangelina_'."

"Nope," Harvey said, turning the paper over to show Max the front page.

"We're Harvine, babe."

* * *

_**Review?**_

_**xoxo N.**_

* * *

**_ON THE NEXT TAOP: Maxine gets a call from a man who she wasn't expecting._**


	9. Glass

_**Hey Everyone!**_

_**Sorry for the delay. My computer crashed and I've been surviving off of my PlayBook. Hopefully I can get my piece of junk to work again, but for now I'll settle for typing on my small tablet.**_

**_Be sure to check for an update. 1-2 weeks from now, as I've managed to save a few chapters. Yay!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

**_P.S. Suits is not mine in any way._**

* * *

"Hello?"

"_Maxine Harris?_"

"Speaking..."

"_Just checking if this is you._"

"I'm sorry?"

"_Have a good night, ma'am_."

"Hello? Who is this?"

"_..._"

"Hello? Hello?"

* * *

"Miss Harris! How's the firm going?"

Max pushed her glasses up her nose as the flash of a camera shocked her instantly. She knew that she should have stayed at her home, knowing that Harvey's condo was well known to the public, including the paparazzi. Tightening her bag on her shoulder, the noise of her heels was unheard over the sound of cameras clicking, lights flashing, and screaming reporters following her every move. She tried moving through the crowd, and while she was succeeding, it was taking an awfully long time to reach Ray, who was stuck on the other side of the mob.

"Is it true you're switching firms?"

"How long until the wedding?"

"Where's Harvey?"

"At work," she said to the closest reporter, only answering questions that she wanted to.

Walking briskly, the reporters realized that Max had answered one of their questions, and began to swarm her with even more questions. Max noticed right away that talking to the press was a bad idea.

"How long have you and Harvey been together?"

"Does your father approve of him?"

"Can you give us a statement?"

Max sighed, looking up past the reporters towards Ray, whom she saw pushing his way through the crowd. As he neared Max, she began making her way through to meet him. A hand wrapped around her wrist, and she felt comfort when she noticed it was Ray's hand, guiding her through the throng of people. More cameras flashed, and the crowd got rowdier. She soon realized that the people were getting too close too fast. She also realized that she was in four inch heels, and while she had amazing equilibrium, there was no way she could stop herself from being pushed into the ground by accident.

More cameras came, the flashing became stronger, and for a moment Max's glasses slid from her eyes. That was also the same moment a blinding flash hit her eyes wrong. If the flash hadn't been there, she would have been able to dodge the two gentlemen fighting with one another to get closer to her.

She felt a hard jerk, and went plummeting down towards the pavement. Pushing her hands out, she braced herself for impact. Hitting the pavement harshly, her wrist cushioned the blow as she fell to the ground. She hit the floor, stunned for a moment, when she felt Ray's hands at her waist, helping her up.

Max got on her two feet and practically ran towards the car, sliding in and not allowing Ray to even open or shut her door. She was thankful for the blackout windows at that moment, the camera flashes seeming to die down. She took in a stuttered breath, calming her shaking hands down as she looked to her wrist. Not badly damaged, but still sore as shit.

Ray's worried eyes followed her every move.

"Max," he said, trying to get her attention.

"I'm fine, Ray. You know it takes a lot more than two idiots fighting to get me worried."

She offered him a sincere smile, which he accepted as he turned around, moving the car away from its parking spot.

"I know you're tough. Just making sure that you're alright."

"That's why you're amazing."

She saw his smile from the rear-view mirror, and waited until he was fully engrossed in driving when she allowed herself to wipe the smile on her face. In reality, she didn't hate the reporters; the paparazzi scared her more than she let on. She didn't like big crowds, and with too many people in one spot, she couldn't be able to see the situation. What if that shove was meant for her? What if she was really hurt? What if someone came at her in the big crowd?

Max closed her eyes. It was an invasion of her privacy, something that she spent years perfecting. She wanted to say something to Harvey, but he enjoyed in being in the camera's purview. That was another difference between Maxine Harris and Harvey Specter; Harvey loved being in the limelight, while Max despised it. She should have said something sooner, but they were in too deep. Now that they were _Harvine_, there was no going back, and that thought saddened Max.

The brunette wiped away the tear in the corner of her eye before she could feel it roll down her face.

But Ray noticed the little droplet of water.

* * *

Harvey's eyes were going to close as he was writing out proposals to other clients which were hand-written, due to the fact that a fellow co-worker stated one day that he had excellent penmanship ("_Babe, I never noticed, but you have really pretty writing._"). Although an hour before noon, Harvey couldn't wait to get home after this. He yawned, bored out of his mind, when he decided that it was a good time to call his love.

She answered on the second ring.

"_Hey Harv_," Max's soft voice came from the other side.

Eyebrows rose automatically.

"_Harv" before noon? _

_Something's wrong._

"What happened?" Harvey said, his voice calm but stern.

He heard her sigh.

"_The cameras just got a little too rowdy. Nothing I can't handle_."

"Are you in the office?" He asked, quickly walking through the glass walls, past Donna, and towards her office.

"_The fourty-fifth floor. I had to get something from Greener._"

He changed his course towards the elevator.

"The nosy bastard, what do you want from him?"

"_He's got numbers._"

"Louis doesn't?"

He heard her snort as he pushed the down button.

"_Louis or Greener, you choose._"

"...Louis is good with numbers."

The doors opened, revealing Max with a phone to her ear. She ended the call walking up to Harvey as he turned, matching her strides.

"Trust me, I would have, regardless of my own well-being. But Louis has been weird lately, I don't know if you've noticed."

Harvey smiled, "He might've had a crush on you."

She rolled her eyes, "You can't come up with something better?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe he saw you when you went to see _Cat on a Hot Tin Roof_."

"Just because we both share a love for Tennessee Williams does not mean he's going _loco_ over me."

"Babe," Harvey said, stopping in the middle of the hallway, pulling her off into the corner, "you're avoiding the subject."

Max sighed deeply, crossing her arms.

"I fell."

"When?"

"Walking out of the condo."

"How?"

She bit her lip.

"I was pushed."

Harvey's face stilled.

"What do you mean _'pushed'_?"

Max shrugged, looking at her shoes.

"Two reporters were fighting and I managed to be at the end of their scuffle."

"And you didn't think it was a good idea to tell me?" He asked, his voice raising a bit.

"It was an accident, Harvey," she said, looking at his face, "It could have happened to anyone."

"No, it happened to _you_. And what I'm going to do is find those son of a bitches and kick their asses."

Max uncrossed her arms, looking directly at him, "_Harvey_, for the love of God and all that is holy, could you please stop threatening to kick everyone's ass when they hurt me?"

Before Harvey could say anything, she put her hand up.

"No, listen to me. I'm not made of glass. I'm not going to break on impact. I can fight my own battles. And this situation was an _accident_ for Christ's sake. Yeah, they didn't apologize, but this is fucking New York Harvey, and if you don't have thick skin, you don't belong here."

"But how am I going to protect you when you won't let me?" Harvey asked, a bit of anger seeping through his words.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I can take care of myself," she said, trying to reason with him, "when I fall, I can pick myself up. I won't be little broken pieces on the sidewalk for you to carry and put back together."

"Max, don't you understand? I'm going to marry you. It's my job to protect you," he practically threw his words at her.

She chuckled without humour, looking at him, "Harvey, marriage isn't about protecting one another. It's about supporting each other. It's about treating each other as equals," she paused, looking at him, "if someone kicked your ass, would you like it if I went and beat the shit out of them?"

"Hell no, I can fight my own battles," he said with confidence.

She looked at him, with a smile on her face that said 'S_ee? See what I mean?_'.

Harvey looked at her, seeing all that she offered. He fell in love with her for so many reasons, one of them being that she was _so_ independent, and so head-strong. It didn't occur to Harvey that those would be qualities that could do him in instantly. He knew that Max could take care of herself, but he still wanted to protect his fiancée with everything in his being. It might have been his chivalric tendencies, and maybe a little of his male pride, but he didn't want Max to fight her battles, even though he knew she could.

He could at least admit it was unfair of him to think that way.

"You're right."

Max almost died from shock.

_What?_

"What?" She said out loud.

"You're right," he repeated, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, "being in a marriage is about being with someone you see to be equal."

Harvey was rewarded with one of Max's most sincere and dazzling smiles.

"And you're not made of glass," he added.

She moved closer to him, leaning her head back perfectly as Harvey bent his head down to meet her lips. The kiss was sweet and chaste, but still held the passion it always did. Max looked into his eyes as she slightly pulled away, smiling as their noses touched.

"Thank you," she whispered, walking backwards.

Harvey moved closer to her, grabbing her hand as he dropped a quick kiss on it before leaving.

"I'll let you fight your battles. But don't think I'm going to let you go at them alone."

She smiled, pinching his cheek quickly.

"If you didn't, you wouldn't be Harvey Specter."

* * *

After his conversation with Max, Harvey made his way towards his office when he spotted Mike coming at him from the right side with a pale look on his face.

"You know what food is, right?"

Mike shook his head, "I can't eat. I'm too nervous about the trip with Rachel."

"It's two weeks away, you got to eat something between now and then," Harvey said, striding into his office with the associate on his tail.

"Actually I could, you know, survive. The rule of three does apply."

"The huh of what?" Harvey said turning around to face him.

"Rule of three; three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food."

"And three seconds to go get food, otherwise I'm going to sic Donna on you."

If Mike could look paler, he would have at that moment.

"Harvey, just hear me out," Mike said as his boss sat down, "What if Rachel sees something odd about me? You do realize she wants me to show her practically everything."

"You went on the tour, right? You know where everything is," Harvey said nonchalantly as he leaned back in his seat.

"_Harvey_, you're not listening," Mike said, the naïve lawyer said in a panic, "She wants to see _everything_. The restaurants, the shops, even the freakin' gas station that's apparently there," the younger one of the two was flustered, "And Rachel's smart. She'll pick up on it in a heartbeat."

"Mike, first off, calm down," he said, his hand out with the palm down, "second, you need to get your shit together. If you're a nervous wreck around her, she'll suspect something before you even get to the airport."

"I know, I know," Mike said, sitting down, running a hand through his hair, "but this is like taking a test before I got to look at the textbook."

"It still amazes me that you failed Spanish because you didn't bother opening the book."

"Sue me, it was last period."

"I figured, you chronic pothead," Harvey said, going to his intercom.

"Donna, when's my next meeting?"

"_Fifty-two minutes with Robert Morrison in Conference room A_."

Harvey turned to Mike, "You have fifteen minutes to get food, eat it, and come back up here."

Mike's eyebrows furrowed, "Why?"

His boss picked up the phone, "You said you wanted to know all about Harvard."

"Yeah, and..."

"And I may not have your memory, but it's impossible to forget the best places to study, best places to make out, and the best place to get pho."

"Pho? Seriously?"

Harvey raised an eyebrow.

"Does Max question your college days?"

"God I hope not. If she ever ran into someone who knew me back then we'd be screwed."

"Be thankful."

"I am."

"Fourteen minutes."

"I'm gone, dude."

Mike got up just as Harvey stared at him.

The blond realized his mistake.

"Right. Don't ever call you dude."

* * *

Cheap beer, cheap couch, and basic cable was heaven for him as he sat down on the musty old couch, flipping through the channels on the boxed television. He was at peace, enjoying the little things he'd taken granted from his time in prison. Another little thing he missed were cellphones. Although he spent several weeks getting used to his new smart phone, which still blew his mind every time he used it ("_The phone talks to me... did you know phones could do that?_"), he knew everything about it. Catching up with technology was hard, but the luxury of finding information quickly and easily made up for lost time.

So when his phone rang as he flipped to the latest gossip news outlet, he happily answered.

"Glenn, what did you find?"

"_So much shit, brah._"

"Anything that's useful?" He said with interest.

"_Has a condo on the north side, but stays with the Specmister most of the time_."

"Specmister?" He asked, confused.

"_Specter, brah. Harvey Specter._"

"Her fiancée."

"_Ya mon. She made Junior Partner time ago, so it makes sense that she gotta date someone just as sick as her._"

"How's her dad?" He said sitting up, resting his elbows on his knees as he held the phone to his ear.

"_Still making some serious cash. She apparently got close to him as of late, maybe finally burying all that shit they had piled up._"

He was going to ask more questions, but Glenn cut him off.

"_Dude, in all honesty, why you so obsessed with the chick? Did you date her?_"

"I barely know her," he said, with sadness in his tone.

"_...Wait, is this like some metaphorical shit where you can know someone for a long time yet you actually don't?_"

"No, Glenn. I don't know her at all."

"_So why you asking for her number_?"

"Because I need to talk to her."

"_Man, I'm so fucking confused. You've never met her, yet you want her number?_"

"Glenn, you've been my friend for eleven years-"

"_Six years in the clink, dawg_."

"-So you know what I'm asking."

There was a pause on the other side

"_...It's her, isn't it? The girl you never shut up about?_"

He didn't answer.

"_Alright, dude. I'll text you her number_."

"Thank you, Glenn"

"_Yeah, yeah. I'm just repaying the millions of favours I owe you._"

"See ya."

"_Peace out, Wade_."

Evan hung up the phone, noticing a text message flashing on his screen. Opening it, he saw the number of Maxine Harris. Evan hesitated as his finger hovered over the screen, realizing that the number could be a fake. Although Glenn could find his way around laws, he wasn't known for being the sharpest tool in the shed.

His eyes left his phone for a moment, paying attention to the screen as he saw the latest news on Maxine Harris popped up on the television. He watched as the paparazzi swarmed her, invading her private space. His eyes widened when two gentlemen started to fight, one of them pushing into Maxine as she fell to the ground. The reporter had begun to mock her, stating that for someone so strong as her to fall so easily was a joke.

Evan looked back at his phone, the ten digits staring back at him.

* * *

Max felt that the weight of the world was on her shoulders as she laid her head to sleep. The big duvet enveloped her, yet she still felt cold. Her eyes fluttered shut as she tried to avoid every stressful thought; clients at work, the paparazzi, the_ wedding_, Evan James Wade- she stopped the thought before it developed any further. But most importantly she wanted to be selfish, just for once. She wanted Harvey to be there to whisk her away from all this nonsense. She wanted to fly to Nice, where her grandmother was from. She wanted the little cottage near the lake. She wanted the yard and the kids and all the things she dreamed of. She wanted to be married in a small church with just her and Harvey. Mike and Rachel could come as well. Donna would go regardless if she was invited or not. Her father walking her down the aisle, Harvey in one of his impeccable suits with that stupidly stupid smile on his face that she absolutely adored. Her in an oh-so-simple dress, just being there with Harvey. None of the extravagancy that Harvey adored.

Harvey was no where near a simple man; he loved spending his money on the most expensive and elaborate items. No wonder the wedding was so big, Harvey wouldn't have it any other way. The thought saddened Max, but she knew that with love comes sacrifice. Harvey had made her happier than she could ever be, and she wanted to make sure she re-paid him.

If that meant giving up her dream wedding, she would do it.

Her cellphone ringing caused her thoughts to stop entirely as she lifted her head to see the device vibrating against the night stand. With a sigh, she picked up the phone, not bothering to look at the number.

"Hello?"

"_Maxine Harris?_"

"Speaking..." Max said, clearly tired. She was not in the mood for business.

"_Just checking if this is you._"

Her eyebrows rose.

_What the hell? Who says things like that?_

"I'm sorry?" She responded, the tiredness gone almost instantly.

"_Have a good night, ma'am_."

She heard the phone being moved around.

"Hello? Who is this?"

There was no response on the other side.

"Hello? Hello?"

Max looked to see if the caller had hung up on her. When she was greeted with her home screen, she quickly went through her phone to find the number. When she did, she noticed that it was a New York area code, but either than that she had no idea who was on the other line.

She put her phone down, laying on her pillows again, only to realize she had gotten her wish. She no longer thought of everything that was stressing her out.

Instead, her mind surrounded the person who had just called her.

* * *

_**ON THE NEXT TPOG: Max runs into an old friend of Mike's from his college days.**_

* * *

**_Uh oh... What's going to happen next?_**

**_Review to find out!_**

******_xoxo _**N.


End file.
